As the late-night community continues to reel from CBS’s surprise cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, another longtime friend and peer of Stephen Colbert is weighing in. While in Erie, PA, to launch Last Week Tonight‘s rebrand of minor league baseball team the Erie SeaWolves on Saturday, John Oliver was asked about the network’s decision.
“[It’s] very sad,” Oliver said. “Obviously I love Stephen, all of his staff. I love that show. It’s incredibly sad.”
Oliver and Colbert have a shared history. Both rose to prominence on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and have remained close as late-night hosts. Oliver has frequently appeared on Colbert’s Late Show, and both men have been among the most prominent political voices in the format.
“The late-night shows mean a lot to me—not just ’cause I work in them,” Oliver added, “but because even growing up in England, I would watch Letterman, which of course was Stephen’s show, and think, oh, what a glamorous world that was.”
Oliver called the decision “terrible, terrible news for the world of comedy” but said he’s eager to see what Colbert and his team will do with the 10 months they have left on the air—and where Colbert will ultimately land. “I look forward to seeing what he’s going to do next, ’cause that man will not stop.”
Colbert shocked audiences on Thursday when, in a cold open for his show, he announced that CBS would be ending The Late Show in May 2026. The news came less than two days after Colbert blasted Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Donald Trump on-air, calling it a “big, fat bribe.”
In the days since, CBS has maintained that the cancellation was a financial decision, citing losses of $40 million this year alone. But many have questioned the timing, including the Writers Guild of America, which called the cancellation potentially “a bribe” and urged New York’s Attorney General to investigate.
Oliver’s comments follow similar remarks from other late-night hosts, including Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers. Kimmel, no surprise, was most cutting, posting an Instagram Reel shortly after the news broke Thursday with a simple, two-part message: “Love you Stephen.” And: “F*ck you CBS and all your Sheldons.”
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