Jimmy Kimmel slammed CBS for canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after 10 seasons, backing his friend with an Instagram post: “Love you Stephen. F–k you and all your Sheldons CBS,” referencing their hit television sitcom Young Sheldon.
CBS said the May 2026 cancellation was “purely a financial decision.” CBS called Colbert “irreplaceable” and said The Late Show will be remembered among the greats of late-night television. The cancellation marks the end of CBS’s late-night legacy, which began with David Letterman in 1993. Colbert, who succeeded Letterman in 2015, learned of the decision Wednesday and addressed it during Thursday’s taping.
“Before we start the show, I want to let you know something I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the ‘Late Show’ in May,” he told the audience.
Colbert told the audience he’s not being replaced, but that CBS is ending The Late Show entirely. “I’m so grateful to the Tiffany Network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater,” he said, thanking fans “in here, out there, all around the world, Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea.”
Kimmel and Colbert are close friends who share the same agent, James “Babydoll” Dixon, and have long rejected comparisons to the Letterman-Leno rivalry.
“People want us to fight… It’s weird,” Kimmel said during a 2015 appearance on Colbert’s show.
They’ve frequently appeared on each other’s programs, co-hosted the 2023 podcast Strike Force Five, and presented together at the 2019 Emmys.
President Trump posted on Truth Social celebrating Colbet’s firing, and pointed out Kimmel’s show will likely get the axe next:
🚨 LMAO! President Trump celebrates the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
“His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who… pic.twitter.com/2CWjez1pG8
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 18, 2025
