CBS's Canceled Show With Over 5000 Episodes Gets The Last Laugh

Published Sep 15, 2026, 3:30 PM EDT Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television. A creative writer, journalist, and lover of the written word in all its forms, Shealyn enjoys deconstructing scenes from her favorite shows, using context clues and historical precedent to predict major plot points (which, due to her successful track record, has sparked rumors of clairvoyance). As an award-winning student journalist, Shealyn spent her college years advocating for the humanities while studying English Literature. Her love of storytelling propelled her to expand her degree with minors in Writing and History, believing life to be a mere collection of stories that can be framed in as many ways as a movie scene. As a Senior member of the TV Team, Shealyn treats the series she covers like books, analyzing every line, camera angle, and lighting choice. Thankfully, her personal mission statement lines up perfectly with Screen Rant: every creative work deserves just as much thought from the viewer as it received from its creator. After 33 seasons, a pillar of late-night television officially takes its final bow. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is arguably the most renowned series in the modern talk show genre, staying relevant despite the public's declining interest in late-night programming. Starting in 1993 as a vehicle for David Letterman, The Late Show has always been a fixture of network TV, but it grew even more popular after Colbert emerged as Letterman's successor in 2014. As such, when CBS announced The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end in 2026, viewers were skeptical at best and furiously indignant at worst. Like many late-night colleagues, Stephen Colbert would frequently discuss hot-button issues, current events, and divisive debates each episode, earning the scorn of major political figures like U.S. President Donald Trump. Consequently, fans of the show, Democratic activists, and industry professionals posited that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled as a result of growing political strife. Regardless, CBS and Paramount maintained that Colbert's cancellation— and the subsequent sale of the time slot to Allen Media Group— was a strictly financial decision meant to make up for the late-night talk show's failure to bring in sufficient ad revenue. Considering Colbert consistently held the number one spot and garnered the highest ratings of any American late-night talk show for nearly a decade, the cancellation was a tough pill to swallow, even if it was pure pragmatics. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's record-breaking series finale was a high note to end on, but CBS continues to face its fair share of backlash for giving Colbert the axe. Luckily, the acclaimed talk show had one last hurrah at the 2026 Emmy Awards. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Took Home Six 2026 Emmy Wins As soon as Stephen Colbert's nominations were announced, fans and friends of the show alike began campaigning for him to win. Thankfully, the widespread support was decidedly not in vain, as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert took home six out of the nine awards it was in consideration for. In fact, Stephen Colbert's Emmy revenge began long before the main ceremony. The bulk of Colbert's wins were announced at the 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, losing out only to The Traitors and Bad Bunny's Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's 2026 Emmy Nominations & Wins Award Status Ceremony Outstanding Variety Series Won 78th Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series Won 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series Won 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Series Won 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series Won 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment) Won 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series Nominated 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special Nominated 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Music Direction Nominated 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Between the ceremonies on September 5 and 6, Stephen Colbert also took home the Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series for the YouTube series Colbert Before Air. Nevertheless, the main event happened at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14, 2026, during which The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won Outstanding Variety Series and the host, in turn, earned a standing ovation from the crowd. Although the win was symbolic of something greater— as illustrated by Colbert's irreverent acceptance speech— the Emmy Award marks the bittersweet end of The Late Show as we know it. Colbert's Cancellation Doesn't Bode Well For The Late-Night Talk Show Genre While countless people have rallied around Stephen Colbert in the past year, he certainly wasn't the first casualty of late-night talk shows' waning social capital— nor will he be the last. Less than a week ago, Jimmy Kimmel Live! cancellation rumors began circulating, theorizing that Kimmel would follow in Colbert's footsteps and be axed from ABC's annual lineup. The network fervently denied the claim, but the show— which now occupies the number one slot left vacant by Colbert— could easily be on the chopping block nonetheless. Whether you take CBS and Paramount's statements as gospel or hold a healthy amount of scrutiny, it's true that late-night shows no longer reliably rake in the money it costs to produce them. There are ways to navigate the fiscal tightrope networks are forced to walk, but viewers are far more likely to watch YouTube shorts, Instagram Reels, or TikTok videos than tune in for an hour-long episode. Similarly, podcasts have functionally replaced traditional talk show interviews, making classic television institutions seem redundant or altogether obsolete. That said, there will always be viewers who respect the groundwork laid by late-night talk shows and the impact they've had on pop culture at large. Long before Buzzfeed Puppy Interviews and First We Feast's Hot Ones, we had the likes of Letterman— and, later, Colbert. Winning big at his final Emmy Awards must certainly feel sweet, but The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's swan song is still a palpable loss for the television landscape, and its legacy will be remembered for decades to come. Release Date 2015 - 2026-00-00 Network CBS