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Who is next after Stephen Colbert? The death of late-night TV... and the unlikely conservative star
The Daily Mail ^ | 20 Jul 2025 | LAURA PARNABY

Posted on 07/20/2025 8:55:11 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican

The axing of Stephen Colbert's Late Show has been received as a death knell for late-night television - but there's still time for one more rising star before the world of cable TV is eclipsed by TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram reels.

CBS and its parent company, Paramount, announced that Colbert's show would 'end its historic run' in May 2026, just over a decade after it first launched, as it hemorrhaged $40 million per year.

'We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire the Late Show franchise at that time,' the broadcast executives said.

'We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and his broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.'

In fact, Colbert, 61, had the best current ratings of all the traditional late-night 11.35pm show hosts before he got the chop.

The veteran presenter attracted 2.42 million viewers across 41 first-run episodes - easily outpacing ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! which had 1.77 million, and NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon which had 1.19 million, per LateNighter.

According to the TV specialist news site, the Late Show was the only one among nine mainstream programs tracked which drew more viewers in the second quarter of 2025 than the first, with a small audience growth of one percent.

So it's no wonder that Colbert's axing has got other left-leaning hosts shaking in their boots.

Kimmel, 57, blasted CBS via his Instagram stories. He reposted Colbert's announcement with the caption: 'Love you Stephen. F**k you and all your Sheldons CBS.'

Late night talk show host Andy Cohen, 57, also said he was 'stunned' by the news.

'I can't believe CBS is turning off the lights at 11:30 after the local news.'

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: aftermidnight; greggutfeld; jimmyfallon; jimmykimmel; nightline; sethmeyers; stephencolbert; talkshows; thedailyshow; whosnext
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To: shelterguy

My wife knows that if David Manure’s face comes on the screen, she must IMMEDIATELY change the channel.


21 posted on 07/20/2025 9:14:21 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

CBS was willing to lose $40 million a year so that Colbert could deliver the Democrat Party talking points to an audience of mostly impressionable young people. Call it a campaign contribution to the DNC. The same is true for Kimmel, Fallon, and Meyers. The same is true for “The View.” The article doesn’t mention that Johnny Carson got more than four million viewers.


22 posted on 07/20/2025 9:14:55 AM PDT by phil00071
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To: Dilbert San Diego

CBS was willing to lose $40 million a year so that Colbert could deliver the Democrat Party talking points to an audience of mostly impressionable young people. Call it a campaign contribution to the DNC. The same is true for Kimmel, Fallon, and Meyers. The same is true for “The View.” The article doesn’t mention that Johnny Carson got more than four million viewers.


23 posted on 07/20/2025 9:15:01 AM PDT by phil00071
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To: MinorityRepublican

In Colbert’s entire tenure there was not one joke that will be remembered for its real insights or having brought forth legitimate laughter. The whole show was designed to placate and soothe crazy liberals and put them to bed with politically correct bedtime stories.


24 posted on 07/20/2025 9:16:37 AM PDT by allendale
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To: phil00071

“”The article doesn’t mention that Johnny Carson got more than four million viewers.””

Because Carson was actually funny and entertaining... also probably because he was not partisan and political. Those were the days, my friend.


25 posted on 07/20/2025 9:16:41 AM PDT by Danie_2023
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To: Dilbert San Diego

“””Has CBS been subsidizing COLBERT all these years, to keep him on the air? But why would they do that?”””

It is the ORANGE MAN BAD HOUR that was meant to help Kamala get elected. It failed so there is no reason to keep pouring money down the rabbit hole.


26 posted on 07/20/2025 9:16:42 AM PDT by shelterguy
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To: MinorityRepublican
Stephen Colbert is a short wee thing.

He buys his elevator shoes at the same place as Robert De Niro.

27 posted on 07/20/2025 9:17:37 AM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie ( O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is gracious, and his mercy endures forever. — Psalm 106)
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To: Dilbert San Diego
When tv came on the scene,people with agendas realized the potential for public sway.

Initially disguised and played close to the vest, using innuendo and hinting.

By the 90's it was blatant in your face propaganda, to the current outright manufactured information.

it worked better then their wildest dreams.

Coalbut is merely a conduit to spread the talking points. He is the night shift.

Look around.

28 posted on 07/20/2025 9:17:50 AM PDT by going hot (Happiness is a Momma Deuce)
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To: MinorityRepublican

list of every political figure (not including journalists and pundits) that appeared on Stephen Colbert’s show in 2024. Try to see if you can spot some sort of pattern:

Hakeem Jeffries (x2)
Bill Clinton
Tim Waltz
John Fetterman
Kamala Harris
Mark Kelly
Ketanji Brown Jackson
AOC (x2)
Pete Buttigieg
Nancy Pelosi
Hillary Clinton
Bernie Sanders (x2)
Elizabeth Warren (x2)
Adam Kinzinger
Gretchen Whitmer
Jamaal Bowman
Cory Booker
Doug Emhoff
Stephen Breyer


29 posted on 07/20/2025 9:18:02 AM PDT by NoLibZone (Trump failures: leaving Antifa off Terror list,Market chaos, Bondi. )
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To: Dilbert San Diego

It was all fun and games until they got sued.


30 posted on 07/20/2025 9:20:24 AM PDT by AppyPappy (If Hitler were alive today and criticized Trump, would he still be Hitler?)
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To: NoLibZone
Echo chamber.

They thought that they were delivering effective propaganda.

Obviously not.

31 posted on 07/20/2025 9:21:31 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: Drew68

>>And the podcasters are doing this so much better for a microscopic fraction of the cost.

I read somewhere that Rogan spends on the order of $1 million per year to do his show, so literally two orders of magnitude less cost. And he gets MUCH better ratings!


32 posted on 07/20/2025 9:21:45 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: MinorityRepublican

There’s some kind of disconnect here if he’s quote so good why is he losing money if he’s not losing money why are they getting rid of him...


33 posted on 07/20/2025 9:22:05 AM PDT by tophat9000 (Tophat90000)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Isn’t there a Seth Meyers that needs to go on one of the antique networks?


34 posted on 07/20/2025 9:23:22 AM PDT by DouglasKC
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To: NoLibZone

Uh, no Hispanics? (/s)


35 posted on 07/20/2025 9:23:23 AM PDT by chajin ("There is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
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To: Dilbert San Diego

I’m not surprised. The article says there are 20 writer, but Matt Walsh recited that the entire staff for the show is more like 200. They pay the host $$20M. That’s a vast amount of money on payroll, plus of course what must be extremely high production costs. Fractured market, with several liberal hacks to choose from, all against Gutfield having the lions share. That’s going to suppress ad revenue. $40M seems pretty high, but I suppose I can accept it, in light of the sky high expenses


36 posted on 07/20/2025 9:23:43 AM PDT by j.havenfarm (24 years on Free Republic, 12/10/24! More than 10,500 replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: MinorityRepublican

The cbs, nbc, abc’s ought to just play late night movies...


37 posted on 07/20/2025 9:25:33 AM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC.....Patriotically Correct)
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To: MinorityRepublican

The cbs, nbc, abc’s ought to just play late night movies...


38 posted on 07/20/2025 9:25:33 AM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC.....Patriotically Correct)
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To: al baby

ROTFL! That was my first thought also. GMTA.


39 posted on 07/20/2025 9:25:38 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (If you have asylum in the U.S. and you go home to visit family, is it like violating a Protect Order)
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To: Bruce Campbells Chin

I read the article

My complaint which I still claim is obvious, is they say unlikely

Why is he unlikely?

He’s been running late night show for years He had his 3 AM show red eye that we’ve been watching- and still watch re runs - for over ten years

He is the opposite imog unlikely

The successful podcasters are not only in line with Gutfeld, they know him, some appear on his show, and Colbert, meyers, Kimmel, Fallon have been left in the dust. For years

Back in the day these people are pretending still exists- young adults tuned in to NBC then CBS for Carson and then letterman

Yong adults are not tuning in to NBC or CBS


40 posted on 07/20/2025 9:25:58 AM PDT by stanne (Because they were mesmerized by Obama, the man for whom this was named, whose name they left out of )
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