Stephen Colbert Reveals ‘Late Show’ Finale Date

It’s the beginning of the end for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

The date of the late-night talk show’s finale will be on May 21.

Colbert made the announcement during a taping of Late Night With Seth Meyers on Monday, with the episode set to air tonight, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It was first announced in July that the Eye network had canceled The Late Show, and it was reportedly a financial decision. The cancellation brought waves of support for Colbert and the entire staff, including from some fellow late-night talk show hosts.

“Yeah, I share your feelings,” Colbert told his upset studio audience at the time of the cancellation announcement. “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.”

The Late Show launched in August 1993 with host David Letterman from the famed Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City. Letterman hosted the talk show until he retired in May 2015. Colbert, who, at the time, was known for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, took over that September and has been in the chair since. Colbert confirmed that when the show has its final episode, that will be it for The Late Show. He will not be replaced with a new host.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season,” George Cheeks, at the time of the cancellation, a Paramount co-CEO, said in a statement alongside other senior leadership. “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.”

Stephen Colbert will most certainly go big for the final episodes in these coming months, and there’s no telling what he’s got up his sleeve for the final show. It’s still hard to believe that come May 21, that will be the end of The Late Show, so fans will just have to hope that these next few months go by really slowly.