Did people actually miss who CBS believed to be the real key to the future of its late-night lineup? As in: not Stephen Colbert?
Back in March, Taylor Tomlinson decided she would take her popular stand-up act on the road full time rather than continue hosting After Midnight, the comedy pseudo-game show that had been running on CBS at 12:37am weeknights.
At the time, the move was a surprise. Tomlinson was doing well, pulling in a solid core of younger viewers—and she seemed enthused. Just two months earlier, as part of an interview marking After Midnight‘s first anniversary, she told me: “At first I was like, oh maybe I’m not good at this. Now I’ve taken to it.”
But the prospect of a third season did not enthuse as much, apparently.
The bigger surprise came when CBS announced it would simply close After Midnight down rather than search for another host. According to all involved, the network had already quietly renewed the show for a third season. It was only after Tomlinson bailed that CBS chose to scuttle it entirely.
Cut to four months later. CBS drops the most explosive bombshell in recent late-night history: it is canceling the apparent jewel in its crown—the 30-plus-year-old Late Show, hosted by the multi-Emmy-winning Colbert.
In the weeks since that brutal shake-up, the TV industry has been hunting for a smoking gun, tangled up in the billions-drenched takeover of CBS’s parent, Paramount Global, by Skydance Media.
Then last week, George Cheeks, CEO of TV Media for CBS/Paramount, added a dash of hot sauce to all the dishy speculation. Speaking at a press conference marking the closing of the Skydance deal, Cheeks said that when Tomlinson walked away from After Midnight, CBS came to the conclusion it “couldn’t stay in that daypart.”
Yes, he also cited challenges with advertiser support and professed the network’s “love and admiration” for Colbert and the show David Letterman created. But the Rubicon into no-late-night land, Cheeks suggested, was crossed because Taylor Tomlinson bolted.
Not the reported tens of millions being lost. Not the insults tossed at Colbert from the leader of the free world. Not the merger. Not the fear that the FCC might threaten the licenses of CBS-owned stations unless Colbert was offered as a ritual sacrifice. No—the trigger, according to Cheeks, was the sudden, unexpected flight of the star of its less-than-two-year-old late-night satellite.
Does that make sense?
In a vacuum, obviously not. In a vortex, maybe yes. Late night would prefer the vacuum, because the vortex is pulling it under.
The truth is, late-night shows are fighting for their lives amid shrinking audiences, worsening demographics, and diminshing ad revenues.
Is it possible CBS was considering replacing its top-rated but money-losing, ideologically polarizing 11:35pm show with its younger-skewing, cheaper, less political 12:37am entry?
If there’s anything we’ve learned in recent weeks, it seems anything’s possible.
CBS may well have seen a rising late-night star in Taylor Tomlinson. Her mix of personal and generally non-political material—Christian upbringing, family life, mental health struggles—certainly wouldn’t hurt her appeal to a network weary of nightly political combat.
The twist? After Midnight was produced in part by Spartina Productions—owned by Stephen Colbert. If CBS saw Tomlinson as the future, it was a future Colbert was already helping to make.
A less dramatic reading of Cheeks’s comment: had Tomlinson stayed, the status quo would have prevailed, at leasr for the time being. Yes, Colbert’s show was losing money, but it still delivered affiliates a stable two-hour block to sell local ads against. Faced with the cost and instability of relaunching After Midnight, CBS instead asked itself whether late night was worth it at all in 2025.
Either way, Tomlinson now has a new—and improbable—footnote in television history: the comic whose departure helped take down Stephen Colbert.
When she left, Colbert wished her well. What he didn’t know was that she was taking CBS’s late night—and his own show—with her.
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don’t buy it for a second
It’s just a lame excuse.
All of late-night is losing money and CBS replacing it with 130 half-hour episodes “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” is way more cheaper.
Think of the CW.
It was losing money every year and only propped up by WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS deals to air their superhero shows. Once that deals ended, Nexstar rightly cancelled most CW originals and went with sports and low-cost foreign shows.
Sure CW viewership went down even more, but it’s going to turn a profit in 2026 – the first time in two decades.
CBS following their lead.
It does not seem like the networks are run or managed by people who understand the Broadcast Television Business. Instead of selling out and blaming streaming, cable, etc., they need to figure out how to keep their affiliated stations going without political based programming.
That’s an interesting angle to consider.
One thing (of many) that I don’t understand about ANY show on ANY network, regardless of politics, is this: if they’re losing money, why don’t they stop the bleeding by lowering the incredibly and ridiculously high salaries? Right off the bat, I can think of many overpaid, untalented daytime hosts.
No one cares what a skull fucking pedophile, like you, thinks, cunt! Step away from your mommy’s computer, and go see your probation officer, before he ships you off to face bashing prison, where obnoxious pedophiles, like you, are served REAL justice!
First, Stephen is NOT a “victim.” He is a SELF-victim who tried to interfere in a MULTI-BILLIION dollar sale. He has continually ATTACKED the President of the United States who returned it in kind. The difference between Stephen or Dave ripping on the network or corporation is that DAVE’s “Late Show” PRINTED money. Stephen’s lost money. Therefore, he was not as big and bad as he thought. Self-importance did Stephen in. Since MOST Americans voted for Mr. Trump, the marketplace has dictated change.
So I’m goin off by this and your other comment at Colbert in connection to After Midnight. So what you’re sayin that it’s Colbert’s own fault because he called out his own network owners for caving into pressure by the Trump administration? In this political climate, I would’ve done the same thing too if I were in his shoes. Colbert, being authentic with the truth, smelled the BS from the network’s decisions and wouldn’t let it slide.
And sure late night is not as pristine as it was before, and it was eventually gonna die and reinvent itself from the traditional format, but both reasons for the Late Show’s end can co-exist. As for the after midnight connection, I feel like Colbert would have sent resumes if CBS didn’t just scrap the whole concept altogether, and their decisions circle right back to the higher ups who could’ve tried harder to re-adapt the late night slot.
Making it Colbert’s fault is the equivalent of blaming and executing the court jester in a room of greedy, spineless, capitulating royals~
So what you’re saying is to stay silent with bullshit in both corporate and political matters, even if it relates to YOU and your job, Hell nah. Also by your logic, if the Late Show WAS making a profit, then none of this would’ve matter.
Also, Mr. Trump has admitted on multiple occasion, both directly and indirectly, that he rigged the 2024 election in his favor.
You’re a fucking retard! Do society a favor and go fucking kill yourself, cunt!
Disagree. This was probably more about Stephen Colbert’s future than Ms. Tomlinson as he was an “Executive Producer” of the show. He should have started sending his resumes out once “After Midnight” was cancelled. Stephen killed TWO CBS shows in Late Night.
great news, Trump’s staff begged him to host the Kennedy Center Honors!…my god, the ratings will be yuge!!!
right?
nahh
Also I’m very positive that Mr. Trump made that story up to justify having himself host the Kennedy Center Honors.
So all this could have been avoided if:
1) James Corden didn’t bail on The Late Late Show (NOT freeing up the 12:37am time slot); OR
2) Chris Hardwick rightfully (re)hosted (@)After Midnight
Doh!
I don’t buy it for a second.
How utterly cowardly and bizarrely convoluted of CBS et all to try to find some woman to throw under the bus!
Colbert is too smart and too beloved to silence. He will pop up in another format and we will follow him there.