Photo Credit: Getty Images
CBS's decision to end The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has ignited a storm of backlash across the entertainment world, with comedian Jimmy Kimmel leading the charge. The late-night veteran didn't mince words Thursday night, posting on Instagram: "Love you Stephen. F–k you and all your Sheldons CBS." His jab referenced CBS's long-running Big Bang Theory spinoff and signaled clear contempt for the network's announcement.
Colbert revealed the news during Thursday's taping at the Ed Sullivan Theater. "Next year will be our last season," he told the stunned audience, who booed loudly. He emphasized he wasn't being replaced but that CBS would retire The Late Show brand entirely. "I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners," Colbert said, thanking the 200-member staff, the show's band, and viewers around the globe. "We get to do this show for each other... and for you."
CBS cited financial constraints, stating the move had "nothing to do with performance or content." Yet that hasn't quelled public suspicion. The network described Colbert, 61, as "irreplaceable" and hailed his show as one for the "pantheon of late-night television." The current plan will end a legacy that began in 1993 with David Letterman's CBS debut.
But behind the corporate farewell, questions are brewing. The announcement came just days after CBS's parent company, Paramount, paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit with Donald Trump over a disputed 60 Minutes segment. Colbert, a vocal Trump critic since 2015, had recently addressed that settlement on-air.
Senator Elizabeth Warren voiced her concerns, writing, "CBS canceled Colbert's show just three days after he called out Paramount's settlement with Trump... America deserves to know if this was politically motivated."
Others echoed the alarm. "When media companies cancel late night shows to appease fascist presidents, America ends," wrote TV producer Mike Schur on Bluesky. Andy Richter called Colbert "a profoundly good and deeply talented man," while veteran media reporter Bill Carter noted, "CBS will face serious questions if it believes it can dodge the political optics here."
