Overview
- The final week is underway, with Wednesday’s episode flipping the format so stars question Colbert and a Bruce Springsteen performance following, ahead of the series finale on Thursday.
- CBS announced the shutdown in July 2025, and critics argue the move tracked with Paramount’s merger push with Skydance and a $16 million payment tied to a dispute over a 60 Minutes interview, which Colbert called a big fat bribe.
- The network cites money pressures as the reason, as late-night shows cost a lot to produce while linear TV ratings and ad sales fall, and CBS plans to shift the slot to Byron Allen’s lower-cost Comics Unleashed, which he supplies and sells ads for himself.
- A new Architectural Digest studio tour shows how the Ed Sullivan Theater was restored and reveals a hidden U.S.-flag lighting pattern built to avoid overt symbols that could put political guests on edge.
- Colbert’s peers rallied in recent days with on-air visits, and Jimmy Kimmel plans to pause his own live show on Thursday, while Colbert says he is focused on his staff and will keep writing, including work on a new Lord of the Rings film script.