With his relationship with CBS increasingly strained, Stephen Colbert will welcome former network star John Dickerson back to The Late Show next week for the show’s live post–State of the Union episode.
Dickerson is set to appear on the February 24 broadcast, which will air live following Donald Trump’s address to Congress. The episode will mark Colbert’s ninth (and final) live post-SOTU show.
The appearance will be Dickerson’s 20th on The Late Show, making him one of Colbert’s most frequent guests. His return to the program this time is notable, however, given his very public departure from CBS News in late 2025.
Dickerson exited the network after criticizing Paramount Global’s settlement with Trump over a 60 Minutes report, arguing that the deal undermined the network’s credibility. His departure came shortly after Bari Weiss was named editor in chief at CBS News.
In a “Reporter’s Notebook” segment on CBS Evening News following the settlement, Dickerson warned that paying millions to resolve the dispute could damage public trust. “Can you hold power to account after paying it millions?” he asked at the time. “Can an audience trust you when it thinks you’ve traded away that trust?”
Colbert, who is himself set to leave CBS when The Late Show ends in May, publicly aligned himself with Dickerson both on and off the air following the journalist’s departure.
On the night of Dickerson’s final CBS Evening News broadcast, Colbert used his own show to praise him as “a journalist of sterling integrity” and declared, “Mr. Dickerson, you are welcome here at the Ed Sullivan for as long as I am.” The following day, the two appeared together at a Slate Political Gabfest event in December 2025, where Colbert embraced Dickerson onstage before raising his middle finger to the sky—a gesture widely interpreted as aimed at network leadership.
Dickerson’s booking comes amid rising tensions between Colbert and CBS. Earlier this week, the host rebuked the network on-air after it disputed his claim that lawyers had blocked a planned on-air interview with Texas state representative James Talarico over Equal Time concerns.
Notably, Dickerson’s successor at CBS Evening News, Tony Dokoupil, has yet to appear on The Late Show since taking over the anchor chair—a departure from longstanding network tradition. Past anchors, including Katie Couric, Scott Pelley, and Norah O’Donnell, all made visits to the program shortly before or after assuming the role.
Tuesday night’s live Late Show episode will also feature a performance by indie singer-songwriter Mitski.
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