At the beginning of the Thursday evening edition of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”, the experienced talk show presenter announced that his superiors at CBS had told him on Wednesday that Late Show will be hired next May. When the studio audience booed loudly and long -lasting, said Colbert: “Yes, I share your feelings.” Then he triggered further compassionate boos when he added: “It is not just the end of our show. But the end of the late show on CBS. I am not replaced. It all just disappears. “
Two levels of the decision
There are two levels of what happened here and what Colbert said. One concerns the general challenge of operating a late night talk show on the US Broadcast television in 2025. And why the decision to end “Late Show” as a whole brand and not just Colbert’s version of how a sign feels that his colleagues at “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”, “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will follow soon. The other level concerns the specific reason why “Late Show” is being discontinued right now. A completely different aspect that shows how difficult it is in the current situation to make such a show.
The press release from CBS to announce the decision had strong “My ‘We did not set late show because of President Trump’ t-shirt gives many questions that the T-shirt itself has already answered” vibes. The first paragraph of the message is: “We think Stephen Colbert is irreplaceable. And will stop the ‘The Late Show’ brand at this time.” However, the second paragraph emphasizes: “This is a purely financial decision against the background of the difficult situation in the Late Night segment. It is not related to the performance, content or other processes at Paramount.”
These two statements do not fully contradict each other. However, they still convey very different messages. As if those responsible who were supposed to provide this “pig” with lipstick could not have decided which approach is better or at least less bad. And therefore decided on both. It is noteworthy that the statement does not contain any comment from Colbert. And it is unthinkable that you have not asked him for a polite quote.
Politics in the game
Perhaps you have heard of the many “other processes at Paramount” recently. The company has been in the sales process for a felt eternity. A concrete merger with Skydance Media was made up last year. And is still waiting for the approval of the Federal Communications Commission. An authority whose director is subordinate to the man who lives in the White House. And the beginning of this month achieved $ 16 million in a lawsuit against CBS for a 60 minute contribution.
Colbert is one of the loudest critics of the current government on television. It takes little imagination to consider the removal of “late show”-a decision with which the moderator was obviously dissatisfied-to consider the approval of the FCC for the merger.
If so, it would not be the first time that a media company has been doing the courtyard to the President since the last election. We have only been a few months away from the fact that “60 Minutes” showrunner Bill Owens will resign. Because, according to his own statement, he was no longer able to “independently decide what is right for 60 minutes and the audience”. A month later, CBS news boss Wendy McMahon also resigned for similar reasons.
Structural decline in the format
At Comedy Central, Colbert became famous by playing a slightly exaggerated version of Bill O’reilly and other sparse dishes from George-W.-Bush era. The world in general and the media industry in particular have changed so much in the 20 years since the “Colbert Report” debut that a lot of what he did then, today like an extremely gentle – if not over -optimistic – parody works. If one of Colbert’s authors had suggested an idea at the time in which a show was discontinued because it did not like the president, Colbert would probably have asked him to give the idea a little more shade. In an era where nobody shy away from pronouncing the unspeakable sound? Satire is becoming increasingly difficult.
This brings us to the point that “The Late Show” would have endangered in the next few years. Regardless of who is sitting in the Oval Office. Many aspects of the TV business are relics of a time when the media have been consumed very differently. Late night talk shows are one of the most obvious examples of this. “The Tonight Sho” W was created at a time when there were only three national channels. No cable, let alone streaming, video games, TikTok or other competitors for our attention. You looked at a late night show because you loved Johnny Carson or Conan O’Brien. Or because you happened to meet Drew Barrymore, which David Letterman showed her breasts.
If these hosts had no guaranteed audience, at least one thing that was very loyal to them. And consisted of all sections of the population and age groups. When Carson made a joke about Richard Nixon or Jimmy Carter, he was not immediately attacked by their followers – let alone by the President himself. These programs were a place where everyone could gather at the end of a long day to be part of something bigger. And with joy.
Fragmented attention
Today, attention is distributed in six directions at the same time. Hardly anyone wants to see a current show that does not meet their political beliefs. And if one of these old slaughterhouse shows an interview or a sketch that appeals to many people, it usually happens because the YouTube clip goes viral the next morning. (That was a recurring storyline in the recent season of the Emmy-winning comedy “Hacks”, in which the fictional comedian Deborah Vance was finally allowed to moderate one of these shows. But hardly anyone saw her live, but only the clips the next day.) Celebrities can now advertise your projects directly through social media. The talk show middle man is superfluous. (Or you choose more unconventional formats such as hot online.)
Excellent work is still done in these shows. Also by Stephen Colbert. If his material hadn’t hit the mark, he would probably still have a job next year. But the decision would then have been made for other reasons. It is noteworthy that CBS immediately clarified that he does not want to install a new moderator in the Ed Sullivan Theater as soon as Colbert is gone.
In some cases, this should make the expulsion less like a throw -out. But another reason is: it hardly makes any sense to invest time, money and resources in the start of a similar show. Conans talk show at TBS ended in 2021. When James Corden left “The Late Late Show” in 2023, CBS did not hire a successor. But tried with a new format: “After Midnight” with Taylor Tomlinson-and when the last month ended, CBS completely waived a new late night format.
A painful farewell
Some of these formats continue to run out of inertia rather than because of their value for the company. Since CBS now completely ceases its talk show structure, it is easier for NBC and ABC to question their own shows. Maybe the next ends when one contract expires – or if Meyers or Kimmel have enough of the daily rhythm. It could still take, but it feels like it is the beginning of the end for a format that is practically as old as television itself.
During his understandably tense speech at the beginning of the program, Colbert spoke about the decision to completely end the show. He complained about the 200 crew members, who would now be unemployed, as well as the missed opportunity that someone else could take over the late show – as he did after Letterman’s withdrawal, or like Conan after Letterman changed the broadcaster.
“I wish someone else would get it,” he said. Nobody gets it. Not at CBS-and possibly nowhere with the non-more-size three.