US television network CBS has called an end to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after more than two decades on air.
The show will end in May 2026, and Colbert will not be replaced, CBS executives said on Thursday (US time).
“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” they said.
CBS parent company Paramount is seeking approval from the US Federal Communications Commission for a $US8.4 billion ($A13 billion) merger with Skydance Media.
In July, Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump over an interview with former vice president Kamala Harris, his Democratic challenger in the 2024 presidential race, that CBS program 60 Minutes broadcast in October.
Colbert, a frequent critic of Trump on his show, told his audience on Thursday that he had been informed of the show’s cancellation the night before.
Senator Adam Schiff of California, a Democrat, was a guest during Thursday’s show.
“If Paramount and CBS ended The Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,” Schiff wrote on social media platform X.
The Late Show first aired in 1993 with host David Letterman.
Live News
