LOS ANGELES, July 18 — The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS will end in May 2026 after the upcoming broadcast season, the network said yesterday.

The show is ending and Colbert will not be replaced, CBS executives said.

“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” the executives said in a statement.

CBS parent company Paramount is seeking approval from the US Federal Communications Commission for an US$8.4 billion (RM35.7 billion) merger with Skydance Media. This month, Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic challenger in the 2024 presidential race, that CBS’s 60 Minutes broadcast in October.

Colbert, a frequent critic of Trump on his show, told his audience yesterday that he was informed of the show’s cancellation the night before.

Senator Adam Schiff of California, a Democrat, was a guest during yesterday’s show.

“If Paramount and CBS ended The Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,” Schiff wrote on X. — Reuters