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CBS Axes Colbert's Late Show, Letterman Returns Amid Fallout

5/16/2026

30 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Colbert Show Ends

CBS announced The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, host, will end on May 21 2026, revealed in July 2025.
CBS said the cut is not ratings-driven, though reports say show loses $40 million a year.
David Letterman, host, returned on May 14 2026, tossed chairs and called executives “lying weasels,” after Colbert criticized $16 million Trump lawsuit settlement and a Skydance merger led by David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison, Oracle co-founder.

Summary

Colbert Axes Staff

Stephen Colbert warned all production staff will be terminated the day after the May 21, 2026 “Late Show” finale.
On the Strike Force Five podcast he said the crew would “get our s—t out of here” and lose their jobs.
CBS announced the 11-year “Late Show” slot will be replaced by “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen.”
Colbert noted his son will graduate college on May 18, 2026, three days before the final episode.

Summary

Colbert Farewell Chaos

Megyn Kelly, host of the May 15 show, called Stephen Colbert’s farewell “pathetic” and told him to “take it like a man.”
Glenn Greenwald, journalist, said late-night hosts have become “celebrity guest versions of MSNBC,” eroding cross-political appeal.
David Letterman and Stephen Colbert tossed chairs, a watermelon and a cake reading “The Late Show 1993 to 2026” off the Ed Sullivan roof onto a CBS ball pit.

History

Historical Context

CBS revived its late-night franchise in 1993 by luring David Letterman from NBC with a $14 million-per-year deal, after earlier failures such as The Merv Griffin Show (1969-1972) and The Pat Sajak Show (1989-1990). The network repeated the pattern in 2026, ending Stephen Colbert’s eleven-year tenure and installing Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed, underscoring CBS’s reliance on marquee hosts to reset ratings.

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Colbert Show Ends

CBS announced The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, host, will end on May 21 2026, revealed in July 2025.
CBS said the cut is not ratings-driven, though reports say show loses $40 million a year.
David Letterman, host, returned on May 14 2026, tossed chairs and called executives “lying weasels,” after Colbert criticized $16 million Trump lawsuit settlement and a Skydance merger led by David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison, Oracle co-founder.

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