Stephen Colbert admitted the cancellation of “The Late Show” was starting to feel real as CBS locked in the final air date for the program.
The comedian addressed the looming finale for “The Late Show” during an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” where he confessed he wasn’t “thrilled” by the situation.
While speaking with Seth Meyers, Colbert confirmed his late night show had about four more months left before it went off the air.
“It feels real now,” Colbert said. “It did not feel … I mean, I know it was real, but now, there’s four months left. You know, the shows are fun to do. But what I really love is the people I do it with.”
He continued: “There are people I’ve been working with [for years]. My [Michael] Shoemaker, Tom Purcell, I’ve known since 1988. And so, we’ve all been together forever.”
Though Colbert admitted that he can do his comedy elsewhere, he said there is no place like the Ed Sullivan Theater.
“We’ll do something else together, but it feels real now,” Colbert further shared. “I’m not thrilled with it.”
Ultimately, Colbert tried to stay positive, noting he was “grateful” for the time he had left and highlighted how he would continued to use his platform for good.
“You know, we all saw what happened this weekend, which was incredibly corrosive to the soul, and how we feel about our own country,” he said. “And I got to talk with Josh Shapiro about it all night. Talk about it with the governor. And that’s an incredible gift.” Watch his remarks below.
@latenightseth Stephen Colbert talks about what he’ll miss most about working at @colbertlateshow ♬ original sound – Late Night with Seth Meyers
Colbert’s comments came as CBS locked in the final air date for “The Late Show,” which will be May 21. The update followed CBS’ decision last summer, when they announced that “The Late Show” would be coming to an end shortly after Colbert mocked Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, blasting the move as a “big fat bribe.”
However, CBS execs noted at the time that the cancellation decision was purely a financial one.
“I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” Colbert noted during a July monologue. “And I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners. I’m so grateful to the Tiffany Network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home. And of course I’m grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us every night in here out there all around the world.”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on CBS, while “Late Night with Seth Meyers” airs weeknights 12:35 p.m. on NBC.
