Story perspectives

CBS Cancels Colbert's Late Show Amid Ratings Decline

4/29/2026

Summary

Colbert Show Ends

CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
CBS said the cancellation results from declining broadcast-TV viewership and lower ad revenue.
Critics linked the timing to Paramount’s $8 billion sale to Skydance Media and a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, suggesting motive.
Colbert told the New York Times his jokes target President Donald Trump’s behavior, not his party, rejecting the partisan label.

Summary

Kimmel Faces Cancellation

Jimmy Kimmel disputed an insider report that “The Late Show” cost Paramount $40 million a year.
The White House renewed calls to cancel Jimmy Kimmel’s show after he joked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s age before the Correspondents’ Dinner shooting.
The Federal Communications Commission probed “The View” as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on TV critics, prompting Paramount to say the cancellation was financial.

History

Historical Context

The 2004 Super Bowl halftime ‘wardrobe malfunction’—Janet Jackson’s breast exposed by Justin Timberlake—prompted the FCC to levy a record $550,000 fine on CBS and sparked 540,000 complaints. That episode forced CBS to tighten content policies, a legacy echoed today as the network plans to replace Stephen Colbert’s Late Show amid ongoing financial and political pressures.

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Colbert Show Ends

CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
CBS said the cancellation results from declining broadcast-TV viewership and lower ad revenue.
Critics linked the timing to Paramount’s $8 billion sale to Skydance Media and a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, suggesting motive.
Colbert told the New York Times his jokes target President Donald Trump’s behavior, not his party, rejecting the partisan label.

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