Stephen Colbert Sets Final Date for ‘The Late Show’ Exit

Stephen Colbert has officially put an end date on his run in late night.

During a taping of Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday, Colbert revealed that the series finale of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will air on Thursday, May 21. The episode will mark the final curtain call for both Colbert and the long-running Late Show franchise on CBS.

The announcement follows news confirmed last summer, when CBS said it would end The Late Show at the close of the 2025–26 broadcast season. At the time, the network described the decision as the end of an era, and Colbert later addressed it directly with his audience.

“It’s not just the end of our show,” Colbert said on air. “It’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”

That statement underscored the finality of the move. Unlike previous late-night transitions, CBS has no plans to continue the franchise with a new host.

The Late Show brand has been a pillar of late-night television for more than 30 years. It began in 1993, when David Letterman launched the show after his highly publicized departure from NBC. Broadcasting from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, Letterman’s version ran for over 4,200 episodes and became a cultural mainstay before he signed off in 2015.

Colbert took over later that year and quickly made the show his own. His version leaned more heavily into political satire, especially during the Trump era, while still delivering celebrity interviews, musical performances, and moments of earnest reflection. Over nine seasons, Colbert’s sharp monologues and topical humor helped The Late Show lead the late-night ratings during a period of intense political and cultural change.

With the May 21 finale now set, Colbert and CBS have just under four months to wrap up one of television’s longest-running late-night institutions. What the final episode will look like remains under wraps, but expectations are high for a sendoff worthy of the show’s legacy.

Colbert’s appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers is scheduled to air Tuesday night.