Jimmy Kimmel Says ‘F— You CBS’ for Canceling ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ as Speculation Stirs if the Series Is Ending for ‘Political Reasons’

Jimmy Kimmel gave a salute to “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” — and blasted rival network CBS — on Thursday evening, hours after CBS announced that it is canceling Colbert’s series in May 2026 and retiring the “Late Show” brand.

“Love you Stephen,” Kimmel wrote on his Instagram story, captioning a clip of Colbert’s on-air announcement that his show would be ending. “Fuck you and all your Sheldons CBS.”

Shortly after Colbert revealed that “The Late Show” would be ending during his taping Thursday, CBS confirmed the plans, justifying the cancelation as a “purely financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and emphasizing that “it is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

The late night format’s decline amid the rise of digital media has become a well-known business trend in recent years. Nonetheless, the timing of Colbert’s cancelation has raised eyebrows among commentators, indicative of a widespread belief that media companies are censoring themselves and capitulating to President Trump.

The decision to end “The Late Show” comes roughly two weeks after Paramount reached an agreement with Trump to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit it had once described as “meritless,” in which Trump accused “60 Minutes” of deceptively editing an interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The settlement signaled a belief that ending the legal dispute with Trump could help speed federal approval on a planned deal for Skydance Media to acquire Paramount.

Colbert has been a longstanding critic of Trump, regularly skewering the President in his late night monologues since his tenure as “Late Show” host began in 2015.

“CBS canceled Colbert’s show just three days after Colbert called out CBS owner Paramount for its $16 settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery,” Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote in a statement on social media. “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.”

“Stephen Colbert is a profoundly good and deeply talented man with a great staff and an excellent show. They all deserve better,” said Andy Richter, Conan O’Brien’s late night righthand man. The Bluesky post came alongside a screenshot of a texting conversation in which Richter’s contact simply wrote “Trump” and “Mother fucker.”

“The financial side of that business has definitely been under pressure, as CBS release asserts, but if CBS believes it can escape without some serious questions about capitulating to Trump, they are seriously deluded,” wrote former New York Times media reporter Bill Carter, now editor-at-large for Late Nighter.

“When media companies cancel late night shows to appease fascist presidents, America fucking ends,” TV exec producer Mike Schur (“Parks and Recreation,” “The Good Place,” “A Man on the Inside”) wrote on Bluesky.

“If you think for one second that this decision has nothing to do with Trump, don’t worry, he will brag about it within the next 24 hours and disabuse you of that notion. The #1 way to explain America working properly is by saying ‘comedians can make fun of he President on TV.’ A good way to explain fascism is ‘the President forces companies to fire those comedians as a condition of allowing them to conduct business.’”

See more reactions to the ending of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” below.

‘Late Show’ Shocker: CBS Ending Late-Night Franchise in 2026

In a surprise announcement Thursday, CBS and Late Show host Stephen Colbert said the show will come to an end in May 2026.

Colbert told the show’s live audience during the taping of Thursday’s show at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York. In a statement, CBS said the cancellation was “purely a financial decision” made in a declining linear TV landscape.

The end of The Late Show at the end of the 2025-26 season will leave CBS without a late-night presence for the first time since 1993, when David Letterman moved from NBC to launch The Late Show. Colbert took over the show in 2015 and has been a consistent ratings leader among the network 11:35 p.m. shows for much of that time.

The announcement also comes as CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, is hoping to close a merger with Skydance in the next few months. The company recently settled a lawsuit filed last year by Donald Trump (before he was elected to a second term as president) over a 60 Minutes interview with Trump’s election opponent, Kamala Harris.

The settlement is widely seen as helping the merger’s chances for approval by the FCC under the Trump administration — and which Colbert criticized upon his return from a hiatus earlier this week. In its statement, CBS said that wasn’t a factor in the decision.

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season,” reads a statement from Paramount co-CEO and CBS president and CEO George Cheeks, CBS Entertainment head Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios president David Stapf.

“We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.

“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.

“Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult. Stephen has taken CBS late night by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in entertainment, politics, news and newsmakers across all areas. The show has been No. 1 in late night for nine straight seasons; Stephen’s comedy resonates daily across digital and social media; and the broadcast is a staple of the nation’s zeitgeist.

“The accomplishments of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert are memorable and significant in performance, quality and stature. With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.”

For his part, Colbert told the audience Thursday that he was informed of the decision to end The Late Show on Wednesday night, drawing boos from the crowd. “Yeah, I share your feelings,” he said. “… This is all just going away. I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners.

I’m so grateful to the Tiffany Network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home. And of course, I’m grateful to you, the audience who have joined us.… And I am extraordinarily, deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here.” Watch Colbert’s full announcement below.

As for the rest of the network late-night landscape, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! will begin the final season of its current three-year deal in the fall. NBC late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers signed deals last year to continue hosting The Tonight Show and Late Night through 2028. (Kimmel and others reacted to the news.)