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Late-night host Stephen Colbert is set to anchor the final episode of “The Late Show” on Thursday night, marking the conclusion of a 33-year US television institution.
The network’s decision to cancel the top-rated programme follows a series of sharp on-air remarks by Colbert, who openly criticised CBS for paying a $16 million settlement to President Donald Trump over an allegedly edited interview with Kamala Harris.
While CBS claims the cancellation was strictly financial, the timing coincides with intense lobbying by its parent company, Paramount, for government approval of an $8.4 billion merger, alongside the appointment of right-wing journalist Bari Weiss to head the news division.
In the final weeks leading up to the final broadcast, Colbert has auctioned off iconic set pieces to benefit World Central Kitchen and welcomed an array of high-profile peers to help send off the show.
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen appeared on the penultimate episode to perform a protest song, while competing hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver visited the studio to pay tribute.
To close out his run, Colbert even reunited with his predecessor, David Letterman, on the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theatre for a symbolic, destructive farewell to the network’s logo.
The cancellation reflects a broader, tenser landscape for political satire under the current administration, as President Trump has frequently targeted late-night hosts with legal and regulatory threats.
Colbert, who first achieved stardom on “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” before taking over the CBS flagship in 2015, has remained quiet about his immediate plans beyond writing for an upcoming “Lord of the Rings” film.
In a show of solidarity, all other major late-night talk shows are airing reruns on Thursday night to give Colbert’s final broadcast undivided attention.
