Overview
- The Late Show aired its final episode Thursday night at the Ed Sullivan Theater, with Paul McCartney as the sole credited guest and multiple celebrity cameos closing the 11-year Colbert run.
- CBS announced it will replace the 11:35 p.m. slot with Byron Allen’s syndicated program Comics Unleashed, a time‑buy show designed for repeatable, nonpolitical comedy.
- Paramount and CBS say the cancellation was a financial choice tied to the economics of late‑night TV, but critics point to a reported $16 million payment from Paramount to President Trump as a factor that creates the appearance of political pressure.
- President Trump celebrated the cancellation on Truth Social and an AI video showing him tossing a Colbert likeness into a trash bin was posted from an official White House X account, intensifying public debate over political messaging and digital manipulation.
- The finale drew unusually large viewership and widespread public reaction, prompting longtime hosts such as David Letterman to call the end a mistake and raising questions about media independence, staff futures, and the future use of the Ed Sullivan stage.