Tomorrow Will Be An Unprecedented Day In Late Night TV History

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Stephen Colbert’s final episode airs on May 21st, after CBS surprisingly canceled his show last year. In a rare show of support, other late-night talk show hosts are joining together to commemorate the event.

To give Stephen Colbert’s last episode of The Late Show the biggest audience possible, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel won’t be airing new shows that night. Instead, ABC and NBC will each show repeat episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show, respectively.

The Late Show Is Coming to an End

Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon recently joined Seth Meyers and John Oliver on The Late Show. This get-together was a reunion of Strike Force Five, the podcast the five late-night hosts created together while the writers and actors were on strike in 2023.

The Late Show has been a staple of television for over thirty years, beginning in 1993 with David Letterman as host. Letterman had previously hosted Late Night on NBC before starting The Late Show. He retired in May 2015, and Stephen Colbert took over as host.

On July 17, 2025, CBS announced that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end after 11 seasons. The network isn’t planning to find a new host; they’ve decided to cancel the show due to financial reasons.

The network has finalized a deal with Byron Allen Productions. Starting May 22nd, Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen will air at 11:35 p.m., featuring two half-hour episodes. Immediately following, at 12:35 a.m., will be another series produced by Allen, the comedy game show Funny You Should Ask, also with two consecutive half-hour episodes.

Letterman criticized CBS, saying they’re unwilling to invest any money, despite wanting to profit. He explained they charge Byron Allen a fair price to sell advertising for his show, Comics Unleashed, which features around 90 minutes to two hours of comedians performing stand-up.

What’s Next for Stephen Colbert?

The last episode of the show will be filmed on May 21st and broadcast later that evening. According to Variety, Stephen Colbert is planning a big celebration to mark the end of his run. After filming, he’s throwing an after-party at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, with guests encouraged to dress in “Fired & Festive” attire.

Despite losing his job hosting a late-night talk show, he’s working on a new Lord of the Rings movie. He’s co-writing the script with his son, Peter Colbert, who is also a screenwriter. The movie currently has a working title.

The next installment will come out after The Hunt for Gollum and will cover six chapters from Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring that weren’t included in Peter Jackson’s 2001 movie.

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2026-05-20 15:06