The cancellation comes shortly after Paramount, on July 1, agreed to pay President Donald Trump a $16 million settlement over a lawsuit the president filed against it. The lawsuit accused CBS's "60 Minutes" of "deceptive editing" of his interview with presidential rival Kamala Harris.

Colbert confirmed the cancellation during a show taping on Thursday. CBS said the move was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night."

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026, the CBS television network announced in a surprise statement on Thursday. The move "is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night [television]," and "is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters," CBS said.