Ellen DeGeneres is weighing in CBS’ decision to cancel The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
“I think it’s sad because he is a really smart guy who is providing a lot of information to a lot of people who don’t watch the news,” DeGeneres, 67, said during a Sunday, July 20, event at Everyman theatre in the U.K. “He has his own take on it clearly, but he is highly intelligent and he has great guests on the show and it’s sad that he’s not going to be on the air anymore.”
She continued, “Whether it’s because it’s financially not profitable I don’t know, because there’s some confusion about the timing of it. but listen, these shows aren’t as profitable anymore. They just don’t make money anymore and you still keep them on for prestige. And if you don’t have that — it’s what lures people to go to the networks to say we have Stephen Colbert. So it’s sad that he’s not there.”
The reaction from DeGeneres — who hosted her own eponymous show from 2003 to 2022 — comes days after Stephen Colbert announced that the show would be coming to a close in May 2026.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will officially come to an end in May 2026. “Before we start the show I want to let you know something that I found out just last night,” host Stephen Colbert, 61, shared during the Thursday, July 17, episode taping and shared via Instagram. “Next year will be our […]
“Before we start the show, I want to let you know something that I found out just last night,” Colbert, 61, said during the Thursday, July 17, taping of his CBS show. “Next year will be our last season, the network will be ending The Late Show in May.”
While the studio audience began booing, Colbert admitted, “I share your feelings.”
“It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced,” he said. “This is all just going away. I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners … And I’m grateful to the audience, you, who have joined us every night, in here, out there, and all around the world.”
That same day, CBS executives released a statement, noting that the decision for the show’s cancellation was “financial” and was not “related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
Viewers and public figures have since expressed frustration that the cancellation was announced shortly after Colbert commented on CBS’ parent company, Paramount, settling a “nuisance lawsuit” brought by President Donald Trump. (Trump, 79, alleged in the lawsuit that 60 Minutes unfairly edited an interview of Kamala Harris.)
The Late Show airs Mondays through Thursdays on CBS at 11:35 p.m. ET.
