Stephen Colbert Reveals When the Final Episode of the ‘Late Show’ Will Air

Stephen Colbert recently confirmed that the lights will go out on “The Late Show” on Thursday, May 21. This announcement marks the conclusion of a CBS institution that has been a staple of late-night television for over thirty years.

The host shared the specific date during a guest appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” that aired on January 27, giving fans a firm timeline for the farewell that has been looming since last summer.

The show first began in 1993 when David Letterman moved to CBS, and it quickly became a massive cultural force during his 22-year run. Colbert took over the legendary desk in 2015, bringing his own unique brand of satire to the program for over a decade. CBS has insisted that the decision to end the show was strictly about the difficult financial climate facing late-night TV today.

While the network claims the move is purely about money, many have pointed out the timing of the announcement. It came shortly after Colbert made some very sharp comments about his parent company, Paramount Global, and their multi-million dollar settlement involving Donald Trump. It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS, Colbert told his audience when the news first broke. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.

The reality is that late-night television is struggling as more people move toward streaming services and watch short clips on social media. Despite the show’s high ratings and critical success, including a recent Emmy win, the network decided it was time to retire the franchise entirely. Colbert has admitted that the end is starting to feel real now as the final four months of production begin.

As of January, Stephen Colbert is not just sitting around waiting for his talk show to end. He recently made a guest appearance on the CBS legal comedy Elsbeth, where he played a talk show host who, in a very meta twist, gets killed off.

He also stayed within the Paramount family by lending his voice to the new series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which premiered on January 15. In that show, he plays the Digital Dean of Students, a role he joked was perfect for his “beautiful voice.”

While he hasn’t announced a major new hosting gig yet, rumors are already swirling about where he might head next. Some fans believe he might follow in the footsteps of David Letterman or John Mulaney by moving to a streaming platform like Netflix. Others suspect he may pivot to a full-time podcast or return to his acting roots in scripted television. For now, he seems focused on finishing his final season at the Ed Sullivan Theater with the same intensity that made him a household name.

Do you think CBS is making a huge mistake by retiring the “Late Show” franchise entirely instead of finding a new host to follow in the footsteps of Letterman and Colbert? Share your thoughts in the comments.