As The Late Show enters its final weeks, host Stephen Colbert has been reflecting on why the program took a political turn. According to Variety, Colbert told The New York Times that this was not his original intention when he took over in 2015.
Instead, the soon-to-be-former late-night host says the shift came at the encouragement of his producer—advice that, if accurate, may go down as some of the more questionable creative guidance in modern television.
From Satire on Cable to Network Late Night
Before The Late Show, Stephen Colbert was already known for political humor on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report. As he prepared to transition to network television, he said, “It was my instinct to be less topical, because I didn’t want to have to engage with what I saw was an increasingly contentious public discourse.”
Stephen Colbert interviews Jimmy Kimmel – YouTube, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
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He also suggested feeling that the new format offered broader creative possibilities. “I thought, ‘Aren’t there other ways to have fun with the audience?’” Colbert reflected.
However, as political tensions rose in 2016, Colbert said he felt the material was too significant to ignore. The Late Show host compared his approach to Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven, saying he had buried his guns—a metaphor for pointed political commentary—and suggested he was initially reluctant to pick them up again.
“I was talking to Paul Dinello—he’s one of my oldest friends and one of my producers here — and he’s like, ‘You’re having fun, and people love to see that,'” Colbert claimed. “And I said, ‘But that means I got to go dig up the guns.’ And he says, ‘Buddy, that’s the part the audience wants to see.’”
Ratings, Reception, and the End of the Run
However, critics argued that Stephen Colbert leaned heavily into progressive politics, often favoring one side of the aisle over the other. In their view, this limited the show’s broad appeal. Ratings for The Late Show fell significantly from the David Letterman era and have continued on a downward trajectory.
David Letterman sits for an interview with Stephen Colbert – The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
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In July, CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end in May 2026. Officially, the network cited “changing business realities,” including the high cost of late-night television, shrinking ad revenue, and declining relevance in an era increasingly dominated by streaming and podcasts. At the time, CBS confirmed only that the show would not continue with a new host.
A support rally protesting the cancelation of his show drew around 20 people.
Aftermath and Competing Interpretations
Immediately after the cancelation, Colbert lashed out at both Paramount—the parent company of CBS—and President Trump, who had celebrated the news. Variety notes ongoing speculation that the show may have been canceled in part to curry favor with the administration during Paramount’s merger talks with Skydance.
Colbert told The New York Times that his remarks suggesting CBS had ulterior motives were jokes. “It’s possible that two things can be true,” Colbert admitted. He added that broadcast television could be in trouble in the era of streaming and YouTube, and said he has not seen the financial reports.
Stephen Colbert speaks at the 2025 Emmys – YouTube, Television Academy
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“But less than two years before they called to say it’s over, they were very eager for me to be signed for a long time,” he said. “So, something changed.”
Stephen Colbert suggests the decision to lean into politics was driven more by his producer’s intuition than his own inclination. What changed? The routine eventually stopped connecting with audiences.
Do you believe Stephen Colbert that it was someone else’s idea to go political? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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