FAREWELL TO THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COBERT

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“Throughout the first half-hour, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds interrupted various usual Colbert bits, mostly with the mock assumption that they might be the unnamed final guest. Instead, Colbert welcomed Paul McCartney, highlighting the show’s occupation (and CBS’s impending abandonment) of the refurbished Ed Sullivan Theater, where McCartney famously performed back in 1964 with the Beatles. In retrospect, this was tipped early on when, after a clever montage of talkshow history stitched together to ‘introduce’ Colbert, the episode was advertised as featuring ‘Hello, Goodbye’.”

Diane and I have been watching the brilliant Stephen Colbert for years. From his time on The Daily Show to his succession of David Letterman on The Late Show on CBS, Colbert’s comedy has resonated with an intelligent audience. But, finally, Colbert’s mocking of Trump triggered his cancelation.

Billionaire David Ellison brought MTV, Nickelodeon, and CBS together in $8 billion merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media that officially closed on August 7, 2025. But the deal needed FCC approval and according to insiders, Trump insisted that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert be cancelled to get that vital approval. And, so it was.

Diane and I fear that this is just the beginning of the end for Late Night shows with Jimmy Kimmel (who Trump has tried to get ABC to fire), Jimmy Fallon, and Seth Meyers. Anyone who makes fun of Trump has a target on their back. Are you a fan of Stephen Colbert?

29 thoughts on “FAREWELL TO THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COBERT”

  1. Jerry House

    A glorious (and sad) ending to an iconic show. Colbert bowed out with a grace and dignity that Trump could never achieve. It has to be noted that Colbert never once referred to Trump by name during the final show — something that I’m sure frosted Trump’s cookies. It’s too early to guarantee anything, but the walls appear to be rapidly closing in on Trump and his ilk, and after they are gone, Colbert’s legacy will shine far brighter than theirs.

    Authoritarians hate truth and laughter. I am sure that Stephen Colbert will continue striking at them in one form or another long into the future, as will Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Fallon — none of whom appear willing to bend the knee. And as they are eventually replaced by time, many others will appear to take their place, which is why I have such hope for the future. We will muddle on and the tyrants will remain behind, stuck in the mud and the mire.

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    3. george Post author

      Jerry, Trump has insulted our allies and has given our enemies plenty to chortle over. The whole “War with Iran” is a fiasco of epic proportions. Even if Trump somehow negotiates a conclusion, it will take months, maybe years, to fix the economic damage.

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  2. Jeff Meyerson

    I like Colbert, but we don’t watch late night television. Occasionally we watch highlights of him or John Stewart the next day.

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  3. Deb

    I’ve always liked Colbert, going back to when he & Steve Carrell would do the “Even Steven” bit on the Daily Show, but these days if I’m still awake at 9:00 PM, it’s unusual, so staying up for a late night show just isn’t in the cards. Meanwhile, I hope CBS gets pole axed in its attempt to become the runner-up to Fox as “official state media mouthpiece”.

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      2. george Post author

        Deb, I can’t recall a time where there was so much incompetence in Government, Business, and the Courts. So many losers…

  4. Mary Mason

    I often record Colbert. He’s one of the best though all of the late night hosts are entertaining. And all are taking on the worst POS in the country. My dvr sadly won’t hold enough for me to record all of them. It’s wonderful how they stick together and support each other.

    Sadly other than weekend update & anti trump skits, SNL is a waste of time mostly. I rarely recognize musical guests & don’t care for most of the skits

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  5. Todd Mason

    Fallon remains a lightweight…since having Drumpf on and mussing his hair, I’ve had little patience for him. But he is willing to throw in with his more responsible colleagues.

    Colbert and Meyers remain the most acute of their cohort (with Oliver the one most willing to devote his weekly program to deep dives, since he is able to do so), and Kimmel rapidly dropped the fratboy flavor to his approach, as my friend April noted, after he became a father. The Drumpfian jackasses are hoping to take over Warner Brothers, which would likely end HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU (US), Oliver’s LAST WEEK TONIGHT, and possibly even Bill Maher’s politically wishy-washy ego fest REAL TIME.

    And then there’s this: https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-takes-aim-at-stephen-colbert-with-trashy-ai-fantasy/

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    1. george Post author

      Todd, you’re right about the takeover of WARNER BROTHERS probably leading to more cancelations of anything remotely critical of Trump.

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  6. Todd Mason

    Meanwhile, even as Colbert presaged his CBS run on THE LATE SHOW by guest-hosting a Michigan public access cable series, he bookended his CBS series by returning to the series (with the women hosts of the series who offered their show back when, and musician Jack White of the White Stripes as his “producer”), here:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DlF5Cf4VLM

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  9. Cap'n Bob

    I don’t like any of the late show hacks and especially can’t stand Colbert! I’m glad he’s gone!

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    1. george Post author

      Bob, Late Night shows are becoming a thing of the Past. I have friends who still watch Johnny Carson TONIGHT shows on DVD.

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