Jimmy Kimmel slams CBS for axing Stephen Colbert's show
ABC's Jimmy Kimmel slammed CBS on Thursday for ending “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
“Love you Stephen. F‑‑‑ you and all your Sheldons CBS,” Kimmel, the host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" wrote in a Thursday post on his Instagram story.
The network announced Thursday that "The Late Show" will conclude in May 2026 after 33 years on the air. Paramount said the decision to scrap the show was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night."
But the programming change comes after Colbert, a vocal critic of President Trump, slammed the network for giving the president a “big fat bribe” via a $16 million settlement over former Vice President Kamala Harris’s interview with “60 minutes” during the 2024 campaign.
“CBS should terminate his contract and pick almost anyone, right off the street, who would do better, and for FAR LESS MONEY,” Trump said of Colbert last year.
Other late night hosts rallied behind Colbert after news of the cancellation broke.
“For as great a comedian and host he is, @stephenathome is an even better person,” Seth Meyers, the host of NBC's "Late Night" wrote in a post on his Instagram story.
“I’m going to miss having him on TV every night but I’m excited he can no longer use the excuse that he’s ‘too busy to hang out’ with me,” he added.
NBC's "The Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon also expressed his support for Colbert.
"I really thought I'd ride this out with him for years to come. I'm sad that my family and friends will need a new show to watch every night at 11:30,” Fallon wrote on Instagram.
“But honestly, he's really been a gentleman and a true friend over the years — going back to 'The Colbert Report,' and I'm sure whatever he does next will be just as brilliant,” he added.