Stephen Colbert has added a new wrinkle to the story behind CBS’ decision to end The Late Show: less than two years before canceling the franchise, he says the network was trying to lock him up for much longer.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Colbert said CBS pushed for a contract renewal of “as long as five years” during negotiations in 2023. Instead, Colbert ultimately opted for a three-year extension—one that will now conclude with The Late Show’s final episode on May 21.
The revelation adds a notable new layer to CBS’ claim that it pulled the plug on The Late Show strictly for financial reasons. While the economics of broadcast late night have undeniably worsened, Colbert suggested the network’s eagerness to keep him long-term as recently as 2023 raises obvious questions.
“Less than two years before they called to say it’s over, they were very eager for me to be signed for a long time,” Colbert told the Times. “So, something changed.”
Colbert didn’t explain why he preferred a shorter deal, but the timing is telling.
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel—who shares manager James “Baby Doll” Dixon with Colbert—signed an extension with Disney in 2022 with an expiration date in May 2026. By declining CBS’ preferred five-year term and instead aligning his contract term with Kimmel’s, Colbert may have positioned himself—and his shared representation—for greater leverage during the next round of negotiations.
That strategy, of course, assumed there would be another round of negotiations.
Instead, CBS announced last year that it would end The Late Show entirely after Colbert’s current season, bringing the franchise launched by David Letterman in 1993 to a close.
Following news of Colbert’s cancellation, Kimmel and ABC announced a one-year contract renewal for Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Elsewhere in his interview with the Times, Colbert suggested he still has little idea what comes next once The Late Show wraps.
Beyond co-writing a script for a new The Lord of the Rings project for Warner Bros., Colbert said he’s avoided making post-Late Show plans while still hosting four nights a week.
“The show takes like 95 percent of my brain,” he said, adding that he likely won’t seriously consider new opportunities until he has “a little time to breathe.”
Colbert also reflected on how dramatically The Late Show evolved early in his run, saying that when he succeeded David Letterman in 2015, both he and CBS initially wanted the show to be less politically driven—and that network executives actively discouraged him from being too topical.
That changed after a rocky launch, when Colbert leaned into political comedy during the 2016 election cycle and saw both stronger reviews and higher ratings.
“I buried those damn guns,” Colbert said of moving away from his more overtly political comedic instincts—before ultimately deciding he needed to “go dig up the guns.”
And while Colbert acknowledged he’ll be relieved to no longer structure his life around the daily news cycle—and President Donald Trump—he made clear he has no regrets about where the show ultimately landed.
“I’m an American. I still care about my country,” he said. “I’m still going to care, but I can do that recreationally, you know, or privately.”
If a show costs $100 million to produce and only brings in $65 million, there is a deficit. NOT a profit-center.
but they wanted 5 years of the show in 2023 and the show wasn’t any more profitable then
Yes it was prior to the Writers Strike.
Between Covid, Ellen’s Demise, and the Writer’s strike, they all but killed broadcast network television. The shows also became far too political and not broadbased. Millioinaire hosts have no concept of how everyday Americans live. They look down at you. Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and Jay Leno did not do that.
Those talk show hosts all weren’t born rich, like Drumpf! They had to work hard to get to where they were! You support a guy in Drumpf who lives in his own world and who’s never had to struggle to make ends meet!
If anything, YOU’RE far more out of touch than the late night hosts you attack!
👏👏👏👏👏👏AMEN!!! Political is silly talk seeing as only political talk mostly was first few minutes of truth … I’d rather have these shows tell me what happening then have to watch that felon shooting off pocketing BILLIONS WITH HIS KIDS !!! GMA FB !!
Hahahaha another greedy democrat with sour grapes over his bad business decision.
That’s pretty much it….dude used his tiny brain and his stupid agent agreed they would fleece CBS for millions more dollars.
It’s like they never heard of cord cutting. What an idiot.
The clock was running out on Colbert because of his age, He is now 62 and the average age of his audience is 68.
Speak for yourself & your king .. what has he done for our country !?!?!! Not much !!!!
Hey Stephen, ask the Orange IDIOT why his3 little idiots sons are NOT SERVING THIS COUNTRY in Iran? Do they have bone spurs TOO???
Enjoy living in a dumpster when this is all over, you pathetic loser!
and republicans are a lot worse and obviously love pedophiles. also great move on spending at least $25 BILLION so far on Iran War and getting your asses kicked. We lost most our bases in the Middle East because Trump is being blackmailed by you know who-who.
Regarding Late Night, the entire demographics have changed. Nobody is watching TV anymore, just look at the viewing numbers from Carson to Leno to now, they’ve been in constant decline for decades given technology and viewer habits.
Colbert had his show cancelled because your child Drumpf wanted him gone for making jokes about him that were on target! He pressured the Ellisons to cancel him if they wanted any more deals approved by him, like Warner Bros. The ultimate quid pro quo!
You’re fucked in the head in thinking America has had enough of him!
Please
The late night hosts are all WAY overpaid today. Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and David Letterman each has high ratings (4.5 – 6.5 MILLION Viewers) on a nightly basis. Jimmy Fallon is making 15-20 million dollars per year for 1.2 million viewers.
Colbert is the only thing I watch on CBS anymore, and once it’s gone I’ll be done. I hope an awful lot of people follow suit.
Same here !!
I’m gonna miss Stephen Colbert I don’t care whether it got political or not I’ll tell you what – Trump is draining the shit out of us mentally physically & every which way …. Watching 5-10 minutes of comedy about the failing administration KEPT MY SANITY !!!!!!! If it wasn’t for Jimmy K & Stephen C skits with that pillow guy & Pre- show jokes Ida lost my mind !!! Seriously – I hope Stephen can get a show with MSNOW – we are waiting and watching Stephen !!!! Love you 😘 Thank you for keeping us laughing which is the only medicine we have right now in this FKG failing country no thanks to orange guy !!! Ugh !!!😑
Hey Stephen, ask the Orange IDIOT why his3 little idiots sons are NOT SERVING THIS COUNTRY in Iran? Do they have bone spurs TOO???