CBS has released an early clip from tonight’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert that sees Colbert announce his show’s cancellation to a clearly shocked studio audience.
“Next year will be our last season,” Colbert says at the top of the show. “The network will be ending The Late Show in May.” In response to boos from the crowd, he added, “Yeah, I share your feelings. It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”
Colbert’s video remarks were released concurrently with a joint statement by CBS leadership—George Cheeks (Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President and CEO of CBS), Amy Reisenbach (President of CBS Entertainment), and David Stapf (President of CBS Studios)—announcig that the show would end after next season. “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time,” they said. “This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.”
In his cold open, Colbert thanked CBS—“the Tiffany Network”—for “giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home.” He also paid tribute to his staff and band: “I am extraordinarily, deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here. We get to do this show for each other every day, all day.”
Reflecting on his decade as host, he told the audience: “I’ve had the pleasure and the responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years. And let me tell you, it is a fantastic job. I wish somebody else was getting it.”
Still, Colbert looked ahead with characteristic energy. “It’s a job that I’m looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another 10 months. It’s gonna be fun. Y’all ready? Let’s go.”
Watch the full clip at the top of this post.
