The Fatal Flaw of Late Night: Colbert Reveals Why Its ‘Indispensable’ Magic Is Financially Broken.NH
“There are fewer of what you would call ‘third spaces’ in our life. Not your home, not your work, but some other place we get together,” the “Late Show” host says
November 3, 2025 @ 10:52 AM
Stephen Colbert acknowledged the financial issues facing late night TV, but something about the format still “seems indispensable.”
Colbert is just a few months removed from CBS’ shock decision to cancel “The Late Show.” The late night TV staple is set to end its decades-long run in May 2026, and CBS called its cancellation in July “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” In an interview published Monday with GQ, Colbert spoke on the current state of the late night TV landscape.
“If there is a business reason for this, I know there’s been a change in ad rates since the strike, and I know that’s never really recovered from that.
