All articles tagged with #colbert
Jimmy Kimmel used his monologue to mock Donald Trump, unveiling the nickname “Teddy Doze-evelt” for the president’s apparent nod-offs at a Sept. 11 memorial, criticized the White House’s explanations, and highlighted a montage of Trump dozing at public events, while recalling Trump’s past jabs at others’ energy levels and comparisons to Mitch McConnell.
At the Emmy Awards’ first night, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert defied expectations with two wins: the Colbert-produced digital short form series The Colbert Before Air won Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama Or Variety Series, and The Late Show won Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series, a category long dominated by Last Week Tonight. The Daily Show also had a strong night, with Desi Lydic winning Outstanding Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series and her fellow host Jordan Klepper Fingers The Pulse: Give The Man A Prize taking Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program, beating out The American Revolution and The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy. Lydic’s win marks her second consecutive win in that category. The outcomes hint at a competitive main late-night Emmy race on Sept. 14 among Colbert, Kimmel, The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight and SNL.
In a Variety interview, Jimmy Kimmel says he offered to host The Late Show during Stephen Colbert’s absence after CBS pulled the plug on Colbert, but Colbert declined. Kimmel noted his ratings jumped during the shake-up and lightly thanked CBS for their “wisdom” with a backhanded compliment. CBS has said Colbert was canceled for a projected $40 million annual loss, a figure many doubted, with some speculating the move was tied to politics or the Paramount merger. Kimmel urged viewers to watch Colbert’s finale and then not watch again.
Byron Allen pushes back on the Daily Beast’s rating-dip story about Comics Unleashed after replacing Stephen Colbert, arguing the decline is being overstated and highlighting CBS’s cost-cutting time-buy deal that shifts the slot toward profit. Nielsen data still shows The Late Show outperforming rivals in the same timeslot, while Allen touts wins in select markets and frames the arrangement as a strategic financial move rather than a failure.
Since Stephen Colbert’s departure, CBS’s replacement Comics Unleashed has slumped, drawing 628,000 total viewers and 82,000 in the 18-49 demo, down 65% from Colbert’s final year in the same slot, while ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! and NBC’s Tonight Show gained viewers. Kimmel led the 11:35 p.m. hour with 2.185 million total viewers (295k in 18-49), up 53% in total viewers and 178% in the demo year over year; Fallon’s Tonight Show rose to 1.301 million total and 194k demo (+10% and +14%, respectively). CBS’s time-buy arrangement with Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed means the network shifts an hour that was losing about $40 million annually into about $15 million in profit, a roughly $55 million swing, mitigating immediate concerns about the ratings gap. The CBS shift to the time-buy model follows The Late Show’s cancellation for financial reasons, and while Colbert’s exit created a clear ratings gap, CBS is positioning the model as the key to a more sustainable late-night economics despite the near-term viewership drop.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! posted a commanding first-night lead in the post-Colbert late-night reshuffle, averaging 2.185 million viewers and 295,000 in 18-49 on June 1, 2026, surpassing The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Comics Unleashed combined; Fallon also rose year over year, while Comics Unleashed declined. Totals will rise with live-plus-three-day data, and non-linear viewership from clips remains a factor in overall impact.
Jimmy Kimmel says in a new interview that he’s been talking about leaving Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a while, noting that Stephen Colbert’s exit and the hostile climate for late-night have shaped his thinking; he has no concrete post-show plans beyond a desire for freedom (even fishing), and producer Erin Irwin says he’s tired and may not go much longer, though she hopes he sticks around through the 2028 election.
Jimmy Kimmel claims his show is profitable and accuses CBS of lying about Colbert, highlighting ongoing debates over earnings and ratings in the late-night TV landscape.
A CBS News president allegedly instructed morning programs to ignore Stephen Colbert’s finale following a perceived unprofessional shot at Tony Dokoupil from The Late Show, highlighting how on-air feuds can influence network programming decisions.
CBS has paused enforcing copyright takedown notices for Stephen Colbert’s Monroe local-access episode after backlash; CBS says the segment was financed and produced by CBS Studios and posted on Colbert's YouTube channel, and it will waive enforcement for now while it reviews the practice, leaving open future collaboration or renewed enforcement.
The incoming host for Stephen Colbert’s Late Show addresses concerns about a backlash, pledging a balance of sharp humor and thoughtful discussion, with a transparent approach to handling controversial topics while keeping the show entertaining.
Deadline reports CBS Studios financed Stephen Colbert’s post-Late Show Michigan public access special “Only in Monroe.” While CBS had sent takedown notices to unauthorized sites to remove the clip, the company said it would waive enforcement for this episode while it reviews the situation, signaling a pivot as Colbert eyes online work on YouTube after The Late Show.
Stephen Colbert’s Late Show finale drew about 6.7 million viewers on Thursday, the largest weeknight audience of his 11-year run, aided by a longer episode and a Paul McCartney appearance; CBS notes caveats, including comparisons to Letterman-era highs and a 2016 post-Super Bowl spike. In Q1 2026 the show averaged roughly 2.7 million viewers per night, while rivals aired repeats on finale night; CBS is replacing The Late Show with Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen and a second time-buy show, signaling ongoing shifts in the late-night landscape.
Stephen Colbert’s Late Show finale drew a record 6.74 million viewers, the show’s most-watched weeknight episode, according to Nielsen. The Ed Sullivan Theater send-off featured Paul McCartney as the final guest, with cameos from Jon Stewart, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows and more, plus a Beatles-style performance of 'Hello, Goodbye' with McCartney, Elvis Costello, and Jon Batiste. The finale followed CBS’s decision to end the show for financial reasons amid a Paramount–Skydance merger, with industry chatter surrounding the move.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert closed its run with a finale that drew about 6.74 million live+same-day viewers, the largest ever for a weeknight episode and well above the show’s Q1 2026 average; the hour featured Paul McCartney and appearances by Colbert’s fellow late-night hosts, underscoring a historic send-off.