Stephen Colbert Was Offered Contract Extension Before CBS Canceled 'Late Show'
Stephen Colbert Was Offered Contract Extension Before CBS Canceled 'Late Show'
Kayla AldecoaFri, May 1, 2026 at 12:43 AM UTC
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Stephen Colbert is just days away from saying goodbye to The Late Show audiences. However, according to the host, he was previously offered a contract renewal before CBS pulled the plug on his late-night talk show.
Colbert, 61, opened up about the end of his late-night reign in a recent interview with the New York Times, telling the outlet that in 2023 CBS "encouraged him" to sign a five-year contract extension.
However, in July 2025, CBS announced they were pulling the plug on The Late Show, claiming the decision was "purely a financial" one.
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"I do not dispute their rationale," the longtime host told NYT. "I do make jokes about it. But I also completely understand why people would say (A) that doesn’t make sense to me and (B) that seems fishy to me, because the network did it to themselves by bending the knee to the Trump administration over a $20 billion, settled for $16 million, completely frivolous lawsuit."
He continued, "It’s possible that two things can be true. Broadcast can be in trouble. They cannot monetize because of things like YouTube, because of the competition of streaming. They’ve got the books, and I do not have any desire to debate them over what they say their business model is and how it does not work for them anymore. But less than two years before they called to say it’s over, they were very eager for me to be signed for a long time. So, something changed."
Colbert's final appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air Thursday, May 21.
This story was originally published by Parade on May 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
