CBS has cancelled The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, ending a 33-year late-night institution. The final episode airs on 21 May. The decision came three days after Colbert mocked a $16m legal settlement between CBS's parent company Paramount and Donald Trump, and a week before Paramount's $8bn merger with Skydance was approved by federal regulators.
CBS said the cancellation was 'purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night'. But David Letterman, who hosted the show before Colbert, called the network 'lying weasels'. Colbert, 62, had hosted since 2015, having previously played a rightwing blowhard on The Colbert Report.
Colbert struggled initially as a traditional host, but found his voice after hiring producer Chris Licht and with the rise of Trump in 2016. He became known for his caustic, witty monologues and Trump impression, offering a nightly antidote for viewers feeling discombobulated by the political climate.
Celebrities including Hugh Jackman, Bette Midler, John Lithgow, Jake Tapper and Jimmy Fallon paid tribute in recent months. Bill Carter, author of The Late Shift, called Colbert 'brilliant almost beyond description' and said he 'had a unique ability to be human'.
