Stephen Colbert’s Exit Marks The End Of One Late-Night Era
Key takeaways
- Media Stephen Colbert’s Exit Marks The End Of One Late-Night Era By Maureen Kerr,
- When Stephen Colbert signs off from The Late Show on Thursday, May 21, 2026, it will be more than the end of one host’s run.
- That makes this week less a normal television finale than a format marker.
Media Stephen Colbert’s Exit Marks The End Of One Late-Night Era By Maureen Kerr,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Maureen Kerr covers AI, media and entertainment economics.Follow Author May 19, 2026, 11:32am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Stephen Colbert on The Late Show in New York, July 17, 2025. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)CBS via Getty Images As The Late Show leaves CBS, the old late-night template is giving way to a more fragmented format built around clips, desk pieces, celebrity games and extended comic explainers.
When Stephen Colbert signs off from The Late Show on Thursday, May 21, 2026, it will be more than the end of one host’s run. It will close a 33-year CBS franchise that began with David Letterman in 1993 and continued with Colbert after 2015. CBS has said it is retiring The Late Show franchise rather than replacing Colbert, and Colbert himself framed the moment plainly: “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”