Stephen Colbert Compares The End Of His Late Night Show To A Man With A Knife Or Maybe An Ice Cream Cone, And I Get How He’s Feeling

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The 2026 television season will mark the end of an era for late-night TV, as Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show will finish its run on CBS in May after over ten years. There’s been a lot of discussion about the cancellation and the reasons behind it. Colbert has been determined to finish the show strong, but he recently compared its ending to being faced with something both threatening and enjoyable – like someone approaching with either a knife or an ice cream cone. It’s easy to see why he feels that way.

Given that his show is ending – a fact he announced on air back in July – it’s understandable people are curious about how Stephen Colbert is doing. The Emmy-winning host has been getting a lot of questions about the show’s cancellation and his future plans. He recently had an in-depth conversation with GQ, where he was very thoughtful and reflective. When asked if the remaining months feel long or short, Colbert shared this perspective:

The end has a discernible shape, but it still seems like a long way away.

Stephen Colbert, previously the host of The Colbert Report, understands that people can sense when something is coming to an end. However, his own departure from late night television isn’t happening immediately. Despite this, he described what that ending might feel like with a surprisingly strange image.

I see a man walking towards me in the fading light, and he’s holding something. It’s unclear if it’s a weapon like a knife, or something harmless like an ice cream cone, but he’s offering me a taste.

More on The Late Show

Okay, so I just watched this incredibly poignant moment between Emma Stone and Stephen Colbert. It started as a playful joke about them doing a sketch together ‘next time,’ but the realization quickly dawned on both of them – and the audience – that ‘next time’ simply isn’t going to happen. It was a beautifully understated acknowledgment that The Late Show is coming to an end, and honestly, it was a little heartbreaking to watch. It wasn’t a grand, emotional farewell, but this subtle exchange felt far more impactful than any big speech could have been. It was a genuinely devastating, yet charming, little moment.

It sounds strange, but looking back, it all makes sense. It’s natural to feel uncertain when you finish something big. I felt that way after college – I knew I’d get my diploma, but I wasn’t sure what would come next in terms of a job. If I had to compare it to the earlier example, the diploma is like the ice cream, and the worry about not finding work is like the knife. However, my situation was actually quite different from Colbert’s.

Paramount, the company that owns CBS, said they canceled The Late Show because of money problems. Reports indicate the show had been losing millions of dollars recently. However, some people think the decision was actually due to Stephen Colbert’s criticism of his company for settling a $16 million lawsuit with Donald Trump. In an interview with GQ, Colbert dismissed these ideas as unlikely.

YouTube TV: $82.99 a Month

Okay, so I’m seriously thinking of ditching cable, and if you’re like me and need to watch late-night shows like The Late Show, you absolutely have to check out YouTube TV. It’s got everything – live news, sports, and all the big channels you’re used to. Seriously, it’s a great deal!

It’s still strange to realize that a year from now, ‘The Late Show’ with Stephen Colbert will have been over for a while. Right now, I appreciate that he’s ignoring the distractions and keeping things running smoothly. I just hope he gets a happy reward when it ends, like an ice cream cone, instead of a difficult outcome.

You can watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS. It’s also available for those who subscribe to YouTube TV.

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2025-11-09 23:08