Stephen Colbert Discussed Running, Confirms May 21 Final Show

Stephen Colbert said on NBC's Late Night With Seth Meyers that he discussed running for office with his family and his faith leader and that his final episode of The Late Show will air May 21, 2026.

CBS said the decision to end The Late Show was 'purely a financial decision' amid a challenging late-night landscape, and George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS Entertainment, confirmed the program was losing 'significant' amounts, with one report saying $40 million annually.

Colbert told Meyers he would consider serving the American people 'in a way that could possibly be greater than a late-night television show,' and his comments followed his on-air criticism of Paramount Global's $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, which CBS said did not factor into the cancellation.

The Late Show began in 1993 and has been hosted by Stephen Colbert since 2015; CBS said the program cost about $100 million to produce annually and it averaged 1.9 million viewers, rising to 2.4 million in the week after the cancellation, according to Nielsen ratings.

Colbert said he was 'neither going to confirm nor deny' plans to run or pursue other projects, he joked about a reported $13.5 million Netflix deal, and supporters circulated a petition with more than 200,000 signatures to keep him on air.