What Stephen Colbert Has Planned For Final of ‘The Late Show’

Stephen Colbert concludes his eleven-year tenure on CBS’s *The Late Show* this Thursday following a cancellation that has sparked significant industry debate. While CBS officially attributes the move to financial losses, the decision coincides with the Paramount-Skydance Media merger, involving leadership with ties to the Trump administration—a frequent target of Colbert’s satire. This transition reflects broader pressures on late-night television, as CBS opts to replace the program with Byron Allen’s *Comics Unleashed* under a unique cost-sharing lease agreement. Fellow hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are showing solidarity by airing reruns during Colbert’s final night, highlighting the camaraderie among late-night peers. Colbert’s final week features high-profile guests including Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg, and Bruce Springsteen, marking the end of a satirical era that began after David Letterman’s retirement. The departure leaves a void in CBS’s programming while raising questions about the intersection of corporate mergers and political commentary in media.