Stephen Colbert’s long run on The Late Show comes to an end on Thursday night as he appears behind his CBS desk for the final time. What is planned for the finale has been kept under wraps, but the show’s team has had months to prepare for the conclusion of the network’s 33-year franchise.
Final Week Guests and Highlights
Guests during the final week have included Michael Keaton, Jon Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Steven Spielberg, David Byrne, and Bruce Springsteen. A wacky version of It’s Raining Men was remade into It’s Raining Fish.
Reasons for the Show’s End
CBS announced last summer that Colbert’s show would end after 11 seasons, citing economic reasons. However, Colbert remains the ratings leader in late-night TV. Many, including Colbert, have expressed skepticism that President Donald Trump’s repeated criticism of the show was not a factor.
The decision to shutter the show came after parent company Paramount’s $16 million settlement of Trump’s lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview, as Paramount awaited his administration's approval of a pending sale to Skydance Media. Colbert called it a “big fat bribe.”
Political Pressure Cited
Dustin Kidd, a professor of sociology at Temple University, notes that Colbert leaves at the top of his game and as the ratings leader. Canceling him cannot be explained strictly through economics, he said. “I would argue that it’s answerable, frankly, through politics,” Kidd added. “There’s been a lot of political pressure levied against this show and a lot of political pressure at work within CBS more generally.”
Rivals and Replacement
Colbert’s chief rivals, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, will both run reruns on Thursday night at the same time as Colbert's goodbye. CBS will fill The Late Show slot with Comics Unleashed, in which comedians share stories. Host Byron Allen has vowed to avoid politics.
