Colbert Canceled

Plus: Ted Lasso teaser, Osgood Perkins trailer, Devil Wears Prada 2 first look, and Christopher Nolan scripts.

Author

Brock Swinson
July 23, 2025

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🔥 Colbert and The Late-Night Apocalypse?

CBS announced Thursday that "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" will end in May 2026, calling it "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night." But this isn't just about one show getting axed – it's the canary in the coal mine for an entire genre that's bleeding money faster than a punctured artery.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Late-night ad revenue plummeted from $439 million in 2018 to just $220 million in 2024 – a decline of 50 percent. Meanwhile:

  • The Late Show was losing $40 million annually despite costing CBS $100 million per year to produce

  • NBC's Tonight Show cut back to four nights per week

  • Unlike scripted shows, topical late-night content has no syndication or streaming value after it airs

The Cultural Irrelevance Problem

People under 49 prefer streaming services, with younger audiences replacing talk-show content with podcasts. Over three-fourths of US 18-24 year-olds are on TikTok, getting comedy in 15-second bursts. As Jimmy Kimmel admitted: "People can watch your monologue online the next day, which cancels out the need to watch it when it's on the air."

What Comes Next (Spoiler: Nothing Good)

CBS is retiring "The Late Show" franchise completely rather than finding a replacement. Jimmy Kimmel's contract expires next year, and he's "openly wondered how long he wanted to do it." Kimmel's prediction: "There might be one late-night TV show in 10 years, but not a lot of them."

We're not just watching the end of Stephen Colbert's show – we're watching the end of an entire era of American culture.

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