To say that Stephen Colbert is having an interesting year is to say that outer space sure is dark. The late night staple was thrown for a loop when CBS axed The Late Show ahead of its impending 11th season, as tied to parent company Paramount’s now-finalized merger with Skydance. Recent weeks’ episodes have seen the host taking shots at the Powers that Be, while also talking about what gig he might take on next, but fans won’t be seeing any of that during upcoming episodes.
That’s because The Late Show is taking a week off amidst all of the behind-the-scenes turmoil. Although it should be pointed out that this mini-hiatus was already planned and in the books, and isn’t a direct response to everything that’s gone down since the cancellation news. That said, it’s not necessarily the worst timing, either, although it comes at a point when The Late Show is enjoying a ratings surge. (More on that lower.)
A lot of the conversations surrounding The Late Show’s future, at least from the network’s perspective, revolve around the show’s financial failings, since Stephen Colbert hasn’t been nearly as successful as late night rival Jimmy Fallon by way of videos clips going viral featuring celebrities doing silly and ridiculous things. Outside of network rumblings, fans and haters alike have both surmised that the show’s heightened focus on partisan politics and an abundance of left-leaning politician guests also factored into the decision.
If that is indeed the case, then the choices for this week’s (and last Friday’s) repeats seem pointed enough. Here’s the lineup that CBS announced:
- Friday, Aug. 8 (Original Air Date: 7/31/25)
- Vice President Kamala Harris
- Musical performance by Renée Rapp
- Monday, Aug. 11 (Original Air Date: 2/18/25)
- George Clooney
- Alan Ritchson
- Tuesday, Aug. 12 (Original Air Date: 4/15/25)
- David Oyelowo
- Finn Wolfhard
- Musical performance by OK Go
- Special appearance by Alan Cumming
- Wednesday, Aug. 13 (Original Air Date: 5/15/25)
- Senator Bernie Sanders
- Musical performance by Pavement
- Thursday, Aug. 14 (Original Air Date: 2/17/25)
- John Oliver
- Musical performance by The War and Treaty
- Friday, Aug. 15 (Original Air Date: 7/22/25)
- Bad Bunny
- Leanne Morgan
At this point, it's unclear what the situation will be for the following week, so stay tuned for those details.
The Late Show's Hiatus Comes After Recent Ratings Wins
According to LateNighter, the aftermath of the CBS cancellation has been a boon for The Late Show's viewership numbers and its key demo ratings. In the week of episodes that ran from July 28-August 1, during which Colbert hosted four new episodes, the CBS talk show's average nightly audience was higher than the combined audiences of both Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
TALK SHOW | AVERAGE LIVE+3 VIEWERSHIP | AVERAGE LIVE+3 DEMO VIEWERSHIP (18-49) |
|---|---|---|
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | 3.016 million | 304,000 |
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 1.133 million | 181,000 |
Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 798,000 | 120,000 |
To be sure, all of Jimmy Kimmel's episodes that week were repeats, which may have had an impact on how that show's numbers looked.
Regardless, though, it does seem like Stephen Colbert's job issues have given him a slight advantage in the ratings, so it'll be interesting to see if he attempts to capitalize on that in any way going forward. I mean, we'll likely see him promote his upcoming Elsbeth guest spot ahead of it hititng the 2025 TV schedule, but what else?