Late night television hosts are banding together to pay tribute to Stephen Colbert as he prepares to sign off from The Late Show for the final time. The last episode of the long-running CBS program is scheduled to air on Thursday, May 21.
Fallon and Kimmel Show Solidarity
Jimmy Fallon has announced that The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will air a rerun on Thursday, May 21, out of respect for Colbert’s finale. This decision mirrors that of Jimmy Kimmel, who revealed on Monday that he would also broadcast a repeat episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! “out of deference to Colbert’s sendoff.” Fallon’s show will resume with new episodes on Friday, May 22, featuring guests Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, as well as musical performer Maluma.
Precedent for the Gesture
According to LateNighter, Kimmel’s choice follows a similar precedent: he opted not to air a new episode in 2015 opposite David Letterman’s final show as host of The Late Show. The decision to air reruns underscores the camaraderie among late-night hosts.
Colbert’s Final Week
On Monday’s edition of The Late Show, Colbert welcomed Kimmel, Fallon, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers for a heartfelt reunion filled with laughter and a special tribute to Colbert’s tenure. The segment highlighted the bond between the hosts and celebrated Colbert’s contributions to late-night television.
Cancellation and Controversy
CBS announced last July that it would cancel The Late Show, describing the decision as a “financial decision.” In the months since, Colbert has been critical of the network and its parent company, Paramount Skydance. In one episode, he took a pointed jab at CBS leadership while mocking Donald Trump over the so-called Board of Peace’s billion-dollar membership fee, quipping that CBS paid “just $16 million” to “obey” the president.
The cancellation came just days before the Trump administration approved Paramount’s merger with David Ellison’s Skydance. Colbert, a longtime Trump antagonist, had been highly critical of the Paramount settlement with the president, calling it a “big, fat bribe” and noting that legal experts deemed Trump’s lawsuit frivolous. CBS staffers claimed the cancellation was a continuation of the “Trump shakedown” that began with the settlement, though the network maintained it was purely financial due to declining ad revenues.
Colbert’s Next Chapter
After departing late-night television, Colbert will take on a new creative role: writing a Lord of the Rings film. The surprise announcement came in March via a video from Peter Jackson, in which he and Colbert revealed the project, currently titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.
