Can late-night talk shows survive a vindictive Trump administration?
The future of late-night talk shows is uncertain as Stephen Colbert prepares to sign off from CBS's Late Show. The decision to end the program is attributed to financial losses, but critics suggest political motivations may be at play. The landscape of late-night television has shifted towards more overt political commentary, particularly in response to the Trump administration.
- ▪Stephen Colbert's final episode of The Late Show marks the end of CBS's franchise that began with David Letterman.
- ▪Paramount cited financial losses of up to $40 million a year as the reason for canceling the show.
- ▪Critics, including former host David Letterman, question the financial rationale and suggest political pressures may be involved.
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On the eve of Stephen Colbert's final Late Show, America is asking: Can late night survive the Trump administration?ABy Andrew ThorpeTopic:TelevisionThu 21 May 2026 at 10:16amThu 21 May 2026 at 10:16amThu 21 May 2026 at 10:16amThen-presidential candidate Donald Trump cracks jokes with Stephen Colbert on the set of The Late Show in 2015. (Getty Images: CBS/John Paul Filo)abc.net.au/news/late-night-talk-shows-free-speech-colbert-late-show-ends/106635688Link copiedShareShare articleLike other checks and balances on presidential power, late-night talk shows — once ratings juggernauts, woven into the fabric of American culture — are being stress-tested.On Thursday, US time, Stephen Colbert will step onto the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York for the final time, bringing an end to…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at ABC News (Australia).