Prominent liberals and celebrities are mourning the news that CBS will end "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" next year.
Host Stephen Colbert announced Thursday he had just learned that CBS was axing the show next spring.
The host’s announcement was met with boos from the in-studio audience, as well as displeasure from his liberal fans online. Under Colbert since he took over in 2015, the show had become a reliable destination for progressive views, anti-Republican talking points and friendly Democratic interviews.
"Snow White" actress Rachel Zegler commented on his Instagram video sharing the news, stating, "I am extremely sad. I adore you, Stephen."
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CBS said the show, which has been on the air since 1993, will end in May 2026. It clarified that the move was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," adding, "It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount," CBS’ parent company.
The show’s cancellation follows the network and its parent company’s settlement with President Donald Trump earlier this month after he sued both for "election interference" over a "60 Minutes" interview edit of his 2024 opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Colbert was among the critical voices at the network of Paramount's settlement, which he and others portrayed as a cowardly surrender.
On "CBS Mornings," host Gayle King called the news a "kick in the stomach," and fellow host Nate Burleson called it a "hard pill to swallow."
"Severance" actor Adam Scott lamented the cancellation, posting, "Love you Stephen. This is absolute bulls--- and I for one am looking forward to the next 10 months of shows."
Actor Ben Stiller posted on X, "Sorry to hear @CBS is canceling one of the best shows they have. Wishing all the people who work so hard on that show all the best."
Longtime journalist Katie Couric commented, "I am so upset about this. I need more information. We love you, @stephenathome."
Ex-CNN reporter Jim Acosta was skeptical of CBS saying it canceled Colbert as a "financial decision," commenting on the story with a GIF of Marsha from The Brady Bunch sarcastically saying, "Sure, Jan." However, his former colleague Brian Stelter reported late Thursday that a CBS source said Colbert's program was "bleeding red ink."
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., shared a post to X suggesting that people investigate why Colbert is being canceled.
"CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons. Watch and share his message."
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who was a guest on the show Thursday night, reacted similarly, writing, "Just finished taping with Stephen Colbert who announced his show was cancelled. If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better."
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"Love you Stephen. F--- you and all your Sheldons CBS," fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel posted on Instagram, mocking the network’s "Big Bang Theory" spinoff, "Young Sheldon."
Former CNN anchor John Avlon wrote on X, "For @CBS to cancel @colbertlateshow is complete malpractice. The brand is strong, storied and irreplaceable. And no host is funnier and more thoughtful - soulful - than @StephenAtHome. That’s why he is loved by a loyal audience, and they will follow him to whatever he does next."
On Bluesky, the left-wing alternative to X, progressives fumed en masse at the cancellation news.
"I'm not crazy for thinking that this was related to Colbert criticizing the network, am I?" far-left journalist Jemele Hill wrote.
Ex-NBC reporter Ben Collins, who now runs the satirical site The Onion, said Colbert would land on his feet but "they are just torching the Late Show, an institution, solely to appease a dictator. And that f---ing sucks."
During a CNN segment on Thursday, Stelter called the cancellation a "total gut punch to Late Show staffers and for a lot of Colbert fans out there. There are millions of those fans."
Though Stelter acknowledged CBS’ financial reason for the cancellation, he said people are still going to speculate about possible political reasons for why the show was canceled.
"I think everybody is looking at this and wondering if CBS is succumbing to political pressure, because we know that the parent company has been desperate to get its merger approved by the Trump administration," he said.
