Jimmy Kimmel came in full support for his friend and fellow late-night host, Stephen Colbert as CBS decided to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after ten seasons. He blasted CBS network and took to his Instagram story, “Love you Stephen. F**k you and all your Sheldons CBS.” It seemed to be a reference to the popular “Young Sheldon” spinoff of “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS.
Why was ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ cancelled?
The network’s announcement that ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ will be cancelled in May 2026 due to “purely financial reasons” coincided with the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host’s tirade. According to the network, the 61-year-old late-night host is “irreplaceable,” and “the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television.” After David Letterman left NBC in 1993 to host “The Late Show with David Letterman,” CBS’s iconic late-night programming came to an end with this decision. After becoming well-known on ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report,’ Colbert took over as host of Letterman’s venerable program in 2015.
What did Stephen Colbert tell his audience on Thursday’s show?
During the taping of Thursday’s performance at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York, Colbert, who claimed to have been informed of the cancellation on Wednesday night, spoke about it. He said, “Before we start the show, I want to let you know something I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the ‘Late Show’ in May,” he told the audience, who booed profusely over the news.
“I share your feelings,” Colbert replied. Colbert reassured the audience that the network was discontinuing the “Late Show” franchise completely, not that he was “being replaced.” “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,” he said.
“I’m grateful to share the stage with this band every night. I am extraordinarily deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here, we get to do this show for each other, every day, all day. And I’ve had the pleasure and responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years,” he added.
Jimmy Kimmel – Stephen Colbert’s friendship
When Kimmel appeared as a guest on Colbert’s show in 2015, she disclosed that she and Colbert are not just late-night TV peers but also close friends who have the same agent, James “Babydoll” Dixon. The hosts also disclosed that they were expected to be adversaries by critics and viewers. Kimmel stated that he thinks it’s because of their long-standing conflict with Letterman and Jay Leno, their predecessors When Kimmel was a guest on Colbert’s show in 2015, he stated, “People want us to fight and everything like that.” “It’s strange.”
According to Kimmel, “people thought it would just continue like the crusade.” But I like you. I may even love you. “Really?” Colbert answered. Kimmel said, “I would cry like a baby if you died.” “May God forbid.”Whoa. Colbert joked, “I would attend your funeral if I didn’t have a show.”Over the years, they have frequently appeared on each other’s shows and even worked together as presenters at the 2019 Emmy Awards.