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Is late night dead? Stephen Colbert’s CBS cancellation raises troubling questions

BBG News

The surprising termination of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” signals the potential decline of one of television’s dearly cherished talk show genres.

The late-night talk show, initially created in the 1950s as a means for networks to produce their own content instead of relying on sponsors, is currently facing significant challenges. With dwindling viewership and a politically charged environment that impacts free speech, this classic setting featuring a desk and couch is under threat.

CBS declared on Thursday that the 2025-26 television season will mark the end of “The Late Show.” The decision was made due to financial issues affecting all late-night shows across networks. Last year, NBC reduced the airing days for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and trimmed the live band for “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” reflecting similar cost-cutting measures.

Still, industry veterans were bewildered by the timing.

It’s difficult to believe that Paramount Global executives were unaware of potential backlash following their announcement, just days after Colbert criticized the company for paying $16 million to President Trump in connection to CBS News’ “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. During his Monday monologue, Colbert referred to the payment as a bribe.

Currently, every action taken by the company is being closely examined as they aim to secure Federal Communications Commission approval for an $8-billion merger with Skydance Media, especially since the FCC’s chairman, Brendan Carr, is known to be a close associate of President Trump. The cancellation of the most popular late-night show hosted by one of Trump’s strongest critics will only increase this scrutiny further.

Senator Adam Schiff from California, shortly after finishing an interview on Colbert’s show, shared his thoughts on X.

If it’s true that The Late Show was canceled due to political motives, the public should be informed about this. They deserve more in such a situation,” Schiff tweeted.

In addition, the Writers Guild of America posed queries, suggesting that the termination seemed like a move to appease the Trump Administration at the expense of free speech.

One aspect going against the theory is that Colbert, still bound by a contract for another year, is expected to continue on air until May. Throughout his 10-year tenure, his commentaries have never been reined in by network executives, and this is not anticipated to alter during his final season.

Hollywood Inc.

Transition adjustments are causing disruptions in one of the final consistent behaviors associated with conventional television watching. Notably, two out of the three network prime-time news programs are undergoing significant revamps.

The poor optics may be a matter of contractual timing.

According to someone privy to the talks who isn’t allowed to speak publicly about it, Paramount Global needed to finalize agreements with writer-producer groups by July for the forthcoming “Late Show” season.

Generally, these agreements last an entire year, however, since the company made the decision to discontinue the program back in several months, the contracts are now only valid till May. This early termination hinted at the network’s upcoming plans.

On hearing about the cancelation decision on Wednesday, Colbert chose to share this news with both his team and his viewers the following day.

It’s reported that ‘Late Show’ is experiencing financial losses amounting to tens of millions annually, as a significant number of younger viewers have abandoned it. Since 2022, the show has experienced a 20% decrease in its audience within the age group most valued by advertisers (18-49), according to Nielsen data.

In 2024, I was excited to learn that “Late Show” generated an impressive $57.7 million in ad revenue, as reported by iSpot.tv. However, this figure represented a drop compared to the previous year’s earnings of $75.7 million in 2022. Interestingly, both “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on NBC and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC experienced similar declines during that period.

Due to financial strain, CBS has decided to abandon one hour of their late-night programming. This decision follows the cancellation of their “Late Late Show,” which aired at 12:35 AM and starred James Corden, two years ago, as the show was consistently losing money for them.

CBS introduced a less expensive alternative called “After Midnight,” but this show concluded after only two seasons as its host, Taylor Tomlinson, chose not to extend her contract. In its place, CBS is airing a syndicated program titled “Comics Unleashed,” which is provided by Byron Allen’s Entertainment Partners in a deal that won’t require CBS to spend anything.

Despite this, Paramount Global may encounter queries regarding why CBS didn’t explore methods to lower the show’s production costs, rather than simply canceling it.

As a movie critic, I’d say if CBS chooses to fill the 11:30 pm time-slot again, they’ll find it challenging to capture the same viewership that Colbert managed to draw in.

CBS is relinquishing an iconic symbol of pop culture, as the influence that once came with hosting roles has significantly diminished due to today’s fractured media environment.

According to expert analyst Rich Greenfield, it could be unwise for traditional media firms to invest heavily in costly original content beyond sports and news, given the ongoing trend of audiences shifting towards streaming platforms.

I’m expressing that wrapping up ‘The Late Show’ is just the beginning, signaling significant changes ahead in both our programming and staffing.

For decades, late-night TV served as the brand identity of the broadcast networks.

Jack Paar served as an entertaining conversationalist who made Middle America feel like they were attending a sophisticated Manhattan cocktail gathering. His successor, Johnny Carson, emerged as a trendsetter in the 1960s, symbolizing male sophistication. He even had his own clothing line. The dry humor in his monologue frequently reflected the political pulse of the nation. Sharing the stage with Carson after a stand-up performance was a significant career boost for many prominent comedians.

As a devoted cinephile, I’ve always marveled at the television landscape, particularly the late-night talk show scene. For decades, CBS found itself struggling to keep pace with the undeniable charm of Johnny Carson. They tried, they failed, with figures like Merv Griffin and Pat Sajak at the helm. However, fortune favors the bold, and when David Letterman, who had been overlooked for the “Tonight” job at NBC, became available in 1993, he breathed new life into CBS. Suddenly, they were a force to be reckoned with, a serious contender in the late-night arena.

Letterman’s unconventional, witty humor added an element of coolness to CBS, which was previously known for being rather formal and serious.

The Late Show with David Letterman significantly boosted the profitability of late-night network television. Despite cable networks taking a chunk out of viewer numbers in the 1990s and early 2000s, the late-night viewing trend persisted, particularly because it offered advertisers a hard-to-reach demographic: young men.

Consequently, late-night television hosts became some of the most highly compensated celebrities within their industry. At that time, both David Letterman and Jay Leno were receiving annual paychecks around the $30 million mark. However, a decade ago, networks began reducing their salaries significantly.

As a devoted movie buff, I’ve noticed how technology has reshaped the way we consume content. Back in the day, staying up late for talk shows was a ritual. But then came DVRs, and suddenly, it became commonplace to catch up on prime-time shows during those same late-night hours. It’s fascinating how technology has chipped away at some of our cherished viewing habits!

The harshest hit was delivered by social media. Although videos from late-night shows accumulate billions of viewing minutes online, they don’t earn as much advertising income as traditional television. Moreover, appearing live at 11:35 pm each night becomes unnecessary under these circumstances.

A past executive in charge of late-night shows commented: “The networks edited out the most engaging segments, and by the end of the evening, those parts were all over social media. There’s simply no need to record it.

In simpler terms, popular TV shows draw extra audiences via online streaming after their initial broadcast, but topical late-night shows tend to lose their relevance quickly.

Since time immemorial, politics have played a significant role in late-night humor. However, when Donald Trump’s political journey commenced in 2015, he became the main focus due to his knack for boosting ratings and sparking national discussions, making him the most talked-about figure in this context.

As a passionate film buff, I’d say it like this: Just as Carson, Letterman, and Leno masterfully poked fun at both sides of the political divide, Trump became a goldmine for comedians due to his inexhaustible supply of daily antics. In essence, he was an effortless, amusing, yet undeniably one-sided target.

Over a long period, it functioned effectively. Viewership ratings for Colbert, who initially gained recognition by satirizing a conservative talk show host on Comedy Central, remained low during the first two years after he took over from Letterman. However, in 2017, both audience numbers and advertising rates significantly increased when Trump assumed office, serving as inspiration for Colbert’s content.

However, the nation has experienced increased political division over the past few years, paving the way for “Gutfeld!”, an evening talk show on Fox News that takes a conservative stance as a result of the persistent satire aimed at former President Trump.

Though “Gutfeld!” doesn’t fit the conventional definition of a late-night show (as it airs at 10 p.m. Eastern), it managed to attract an average of 3 million viewers during the second quarter of 2025, as reported by Nielsen. Moreover, its viewership has seen a significant growth of around 20% since 2022.

Instead of being nighttime advertisement magnets, young men are shifting towards podcasting personalities like Joe Rogan and others, who can express themselves freely without the constraints imposed by television’s broadcasting standards.

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2025-07-19 02:31

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