Stephen Colbert put an end date on “The Colbert Report” during Thursday’s broadcast. The show has been doing a sporadic countdown during the opening credits, but with holidays and days off it wasn’t completely clear when the show would end. Now it is.
Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014 will mark the final episode of “The Colbert Report.” In 2015, Stephen Colbert will make the transition to CBS’s “Late Show,” taking over the desk after David Letterman retires. Colbert will retire his fictional “Colbert Report” persona as well, hosting “Late Show” as himself.
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“The Colbert Report” launched in 2005 as a spin-off and companion show to Jon Stewart‘s “The Daily Show.” The two shows quickly became cultural institutions, elevating both men to super-stardom.
David Letterman announced in April 2014 that he would be stepping down as host of “Late Show,” which he launched in 1993 after he failed to score “The Tonight Show” hosting gig at NBC. Letterman will step down in 2015, though no specific date has yet been announced.
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There is expected to be a break between hosts, with some speculation that Colbert might launch his “Late Show” in September 2015 to coincide with next year’s fall television season.
“The Colbert Report” airs Monday through Thursday at 11:30 p.m. ET on Comedy Central. Fellow “Daily Show” correspondent Larry Wilmore is slated to replace Colbert with his new show “The Minority Report,” which will launch in January 2015.
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