CBS announced last month that it would not just be ending Colbert's run on the network but retiring the venerable Late Show franchise as a whole after the 2025-26 broadcast season, calling the divisive decision a "purely financial" one "against a challenging backdrop in late night."

To say that Stephen Colbert is having an interesting year is to say that outer space sure is dark. The late night staple was thrown for a loop when CBS axed The Late Show ahead of its impending 11th season,

During a July 17 taping, Colbert announced the cancellation of The Late Show. Colbert, who took over from David Letterman as host in September 2015, said he was "grateful" for being given a chair and a "beautiful theater to call home," as well as his viewers from "all around the world."