""He's been choosing to be so positive, he's radiated gratitude," Stelter recently said in a panel at Workplace Innovation Summit with editor Indrani Sen, adding that Colbert has operated under the mindset that "'I'd rather be grateful for the time I had on air than be angry that it's ending.'""
"Colbert took over The Late Show in September 2015, replacing David Letterman, who had hosted the CBS franchise for 22 years, and has anchored the 11:35 p.m. slot ever since. Over more than a decade behind the desk, he became the No. 1 host at 11:30 p.m. for nine straight years, and his run was capped by a long-elusive industry honor: in September 2025, The Late Show won its first Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series, beating Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Daily Show -the first broadcast late-night show to win the category since it was created in 2015."
"The victory came after CBS announced in July 2025 that the 2025-26 season would be the last for The Late Show -not just with Colbert as host, but for the franchise altogether-with the network citing financial pressures amid a broader collapse in late-night ad revenue. Colbert's final episode is scheduled to air Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 11:35 p.m., closing out an 11-season run."
A long-running late-night host is ending an 11-year tenure and handling the departure with gratitude. A media analyst praises the host for staying positive, radiating appreciation, and framing the ending as something to be grateful for rather than angry about. The host took over the show in 2015 and became a top performer in the late-night time slot for years. The show later won its first Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series in 2025. The network announced the show’s final season due to financial pressures and a broader decline in late-night advertising revenue. The host’s final episode is scheduled for May 21, 2026.
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