Posted on 07/18/2025 5:38:27 AM PDT by V_TWIN
A staple of late night television is going off the air for good.
CBS and Stephen Colbert broke the news Thursday that the next season of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ will be its last.
It will not return with a new host, either.
“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘THE LATE SHOW’ franchise at that time,” wrote CBS. “We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.”
The Associated Press reports the announcement came three days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global, parent company of CBS, settling with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” story. The company’s pending sale to Skydance Media needs the Trump administration’s approval.
According to CBS, the decision has nothing to do with the host, the show’s popularity, or content. Instead, the company said it all comes down to money.
(Excerpt) Read more at actionnewsjax.com ...
Gutfield also has had an impact.
Another thread said Adam Schiff was questioning if this happened for political reasons. And that the American people deserve to know the truth about this.
Have we reached a point where Democrats will investigate the programming decisions of TV networks?
Maybe I’m going out on a limb here, so to speak, but I think we do not need congressional oversight of programming decisions of TV networks.
Looks good until you see inside
Yes, they each only have about two million viewers every night. Johnny Carson was the sole late night host for decades on NBC and there was barely enough watchers back then.
200 staffers for Colbert, 12 for Gutfeld. Colbert doesn't need any, it's all TDS straight from his heart and his jokes aren't even funny.
IMDb lists a staff of 6 writers, 5 producers, and 1 director for Gutfeld!. In contrast, one source suggests a much smaller crew, with an X post claiming the show operates with "like 10 staffers MAX".
Cancelled in May 2026. Nothing like a little advance notice...
Interesting to hear that these shows lose money.
I recall hearing decades ago, that Johnny Carson’s program was responsible for a disproportionate amount of the profits of NBC.
Things have certainly changed in the TV business.
Shouldn’t a comedian be funny every decade or so. When is the SNL franchise done?
They think that "selling" the last year will revive viewership, instead it will continue to slide.
The bad news for him -- which will likely lead to the demise of ALL these late-night TV shows -- is that he has seen steep declines in his ratings over the years.
Basically, hardly anyone watches network TV shows in that format and/or that time slot anymore.
“Hey, it’s just bidness!”
Competition happened and it revealed the losers.
They could put on re-runs of Gilligan’s Island and The Beverly Hillbillies and get better ratings..................
The original Johnny Carson Late Show worked because nobody was “untouchable” concerning jokes. If we want to see one party trash-talked we could just watch the 6:00 PM news.
Colbert’s audience is nothing more than rabid Trump haters. That means they’re liberal/progressive, and we all know libs and progressives are notoriously cheap (unless they’re spending someone else’s money). Don’t expect them to shop the advertisers seen on the show.
Good riddance.
Let’s be fair. I wonder if *any* late night show would survive right now.
Yup one down. More winning.
So continuing to pay for a show with lousy ratings and demos isn’t a financial decision, but canceling it is...?
It was pretty good under Johnny Carson.
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