Jimmy Kimmel will air a repeat of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on May 21, the date of Stephen Colbert’s final “Late Show” on CBS, as a gesture of respect for his fellow late-night host. ABC confirmed that Kimmel’s timeslot will feature a rerun after new episodes air earlier that week, from Monday to Wednesday. Kimmel previously did the same for David Letterman’s final show in 2015.
On May 11, Kimmel will appear as a guest on Colbert’s show alongside Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver, reprising the lineup from the “Strike Force Five” podcast. The podcast raised funds for crew members during the 2023 strikes. David Letterman is scheduled to appear on May 14.
Other guests in Colbert’s final days include John Krasinski, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Pedro Pascal and Tom Hanks. Special segments will feature “Kids Pitch” with Jenny Slate and others, a Broadway performance, a “Colbert Questionert” with Barack Obama, and a performance by The Strokes.
CBS cancelled “The Late Show” in July 2025, citing financial reasons. However, critics, including Letterman, have called the decision censorship, as it coincided with Paramount Global’s sale to Skydance Media. Colbert has been a frequent critic of Donald Trump, who celebrated the cancellation. Letterman described CBS executives as “lying weasels” in a recent interview.
