Not long after news of After Midnight’s cancellation broke, Stephen Colbert shared the news with his studio audience, paying tribute to the show he’s executive produced for two years.
Colbert acknowledged the impending end of Taylor Tomlinson’s show at the end of The Late Show last night, a moment he typically uses to promote After Midnight.
“This is the part of the show when I usually say, ‘Stick around for Taylor Tomlinson on After Midnight,’” Colbert noted. “I really enjoy doing that. Not just because I’m an executive producer on that show, but because she’s incredibly funny and I really like that show.”
“Unfortunately, After Midnight is going to end in June,” he revealed to awws from the audience.
The host went on to reiterate what he said in his press statement, noting it was Tomlinson’s decision to step away, but voicing his support for her. “CBS just gave us a pickup for a third season, but Taylor has decided to return to standup full-time,” said Colbert. “And as someone who’s done this job for twenty years, I completely respect her enormously as a comedian, and for making a very hard decision on how to best use her time and her talent.
Colbert went on to thank CBS for their support of the show since it launched in 2024—namely CBS CEO George Cheeks, CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach, and CBS Studios President David Stapf.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, and you rarely have partners that good. You’d have to work on one of these shows like we do to understand all the time and the effort the amazing staff of After Midnight put into not only launching a new show, but also creating a new form of one of these shows for a late-night time slot,” Colbert reflected.
“It’s hard to try something new,” he added, “and it’s rare for a network to say, ‘We’d like more of that.’”
As we’ve reported, while CBS may have wanted more of Tomlinson’s After Midnight, it apparently didn’t want more of the show under a new host. The network has said will not fill the 12:37am time slot with new original programming, vacating the time slot after 30 years.
Colbert ended The Late Show with his usual toss to After Midnight, something he’ll continue to do through June. But despite airing a new episode last night, Tomlinson didn’t make her own announcement on After Midnight.
She did take to social media yesterday following the news. “Juggling touring and hosting the show has become unsustainable, and I’ve made the difficult decision to step away so I can focus on standup,” she wrote in an Instagram story post. “I’m very sad but excited to finish out season 2 strong.”
Another failure for Colbert, like his latest face-lift.
And why is he lying that the show was renewed for a 3rd season? It’s a lame PR spin like how Amber Ruffin’s show also got cancelled.
I have no idea how Leno maintained his Tonight Show reign with nearly no breaks through the year while touring like crazy. He’s unique (certainly one word for him, haha), so it’s understandable standups like Taylor and Trevor have found less value in television over their standup career. Making one late night episode certainly seems tough on its own, much less that its nightly, then add the full time job of standup. And standup seems far less time-intensive and far more lucrative, so it’s kind of a no-brainer to leave. Look what happened with Artie Lange and Stern, who wanted a standup career to supplement the lesser money from a radio show, similar to television, with Andy Richter leaving Conan way back when for a more lucrative acting career. Unfortunately for Colbert, the EP money from the CC and Showtime shows and now After Midnight doesn’t seem to be stable, like it had been for his late night predecessors.
I’m surprised Colbert didn’t find a way to blame this on Trump. If CBS loses anymore money, they might have to sell the Ed Sullivan Theater and move Colbert’s show to the Evening News set.
John, fRump is the only clown that blames and points fingers at everyone else and name calls. He’s such an ignorant adolescent baby man. All Repugnantc*nts are so full of hate and blame and have NO sense of humor!! His intelligence is pulp!! Colbert, Kimmel and Meyers Rock!!
Your comment is so ludicrous and filled with hypocrisy that it’s really hard to think you have any sense at all be it common or whatever. Then you follow up by telling the truth about the show that basically Colbert is totally responsible for the content? Your brain is going in so many directions that your insanity is completely understandable. Just glad I don’t know any people like you!!
She is funny but I couldn’t get into the show. It made no sense to me. I did try, I didn’t get it. So I’m glad she will move on to something better for her.
I don’t think she was funny at all. if she really was, maybe her ratings would’ve been higher
agree.
Never heard of it! Was it just more liberal propaganda?
i have not watched, but I still think it’s better when everyone leaves on a high note, and she knows what she wants.