LAST UPDATE | 18 Jul 2025

STEPHEN COLBERT’S LATE night programme on US television will come to an end next year, something that’s been celebrated by President Donald Trump.

‘The Late Show’, long a staple of late-night television in the US, was previously hosted by famed presenter David Letterman, but the cancellation will mark the end of the franchise on broadcaster CBS.

CBS said ending the show was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night”, but it’s come amid a controversy over a $16 million settlement its parent company Paramount has made with President Donald Trump.

Paramount reached the settlement this month in a lawsuit the entertainment giant described as meritless.

But Colbert, an outspoken critic of Trump, described the settlement as “a big fat bribe” on his show this week.

“Next year will be our last season,” Colbert announced on the show to boos and shouts of disbelief. “The network will be ending the show in May.”

Reacting to the news of the show’s cancellation, Trump said voiced his approval in a post on his social media site, Truth Social.

“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,” Trump wrote. 

Political reaction has seen Democrats question the cancellation. Veteran senator Elizabeth Warren and others have raised whether it has taken place for “political reasons”, given Colbert’s past criticisms of Trump and the pressure the president has placed on CBS.

CBS appeared to reference the settlement in its statement, saying that the cancellation was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

The company is seeking to close its $8 billion merger with the entertainment company Skydance, which needs central government approval.

Trump had sued Paramount for $20 billion, alleging that CBS News’ “60 Minutes” program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favor.

He said on Thursday the cancellation was not just the end of his show but the end of “The Late Show” franchise on CBS.

“I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” he said.

Democrats question cancellation

However, Trump’s political opponents and other critics drew attention to the timing of the decision.

“CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump — a deal that looks like bribery,” Democratic senator Warren said on social media.

“America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons,” Warren said.

CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery.

America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.

Watch and share his message. pic.twitter.com/Rz7HcWFLYM

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 18, 2025

Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who was on Colbert’s show the night he announced it would be ending, said: “If Paramount and CBS ended the ‘Late Show’ for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.”

© Agence France-Presse