CBS will end "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and retire "The Late Show" franchise in May 2026, the company announced Thursday.

Broadcast TV’s highest-rated late-night talk show, "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," is being cancelled. Paramount called it a financial decision, but the timing is raising questions. Stephanie Sy discussed the cancellation of the show with NPR television critic Eric Deggans.

Opinion: CBS just proved that when it comes to a "decision," cancelling Colbert was a no-brainer compared to appeasing the dictator Trump, writes .

The network claimed it was “purely a financial decision.” “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘The Late Show’ franchise in May of 2026,” CBS executives’ statement read. “We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.”

After more than three decades on air, CBS announced on Thursday that its famed "Late Show" franchise is coming to a close.

TV’s ongoing problems with late night have come for Stephen Colbert, with CBS announcing Thursday that it plans to end his “Late Show” after the next TV season, citing a “financial decision.” The maneuver — which ends years of original late-night programming at CBS that started when the network lured David Letterman from NBC in

The show will end in May 2026 after more than 1,500 episodes in its second iteration.