Jimmy Kimmel and several other late night hosts are giving one final to Stephen Colbert as The Late Show comes to an end following a shocking cancellation.

For those unfamiliar, the cancellation came after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount over its $16 million settlement with US President Donald Trump during the company's merger process.

On-air, Colbert called the settlement “a big, fat bribe.” CBS announced cancellation shortly after, sending shockwaves across the globe.

Critics questioned the timing, though CBS insisted the decision was unrelated to politics or content.

The public criticism intensified as many late night hosts rallied against the announcement, which further led to the brief suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late night show as he hurled insults at Trump while speaking about Charlie Kirk's assasination.

Now, the end of Colbert's show has emerged as CBS announced in July 2025 that the final episode was scheduled for Thursday, May 21. Ahead of its final episode, Hollywood gave Colbert an emotional sendoff, including Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, and Kimmel.

In Colbert's honour, Kimmel urged fans not to tune into CBS after The Late Show comes to an end tonight.

During his Wednesday episode, Kimmel also announced his own show would air a rerun instead of a new episode out of respect for Colbert.

“We will be off tomorrow night, out of respect for our colleague and friend Stephen Colbert, and the writers, producers, and staff and crew at The Late Show, whose final show on CBS airs opposite ours,” Kimmel said.

“I think you know how I feel about the fact that they’re being pushed out. I hope the people who did the pushing feel ashamed of themselves tonight. Although I know they probably won’t.”

He continued, “That being said, I think it is most important to congratulate Stephen and the team at The Late Show for all the great work over the last 11 years, and all the great work they will continue to do in other venues. I have no doubt. Everyone at that show has always been very gracious to us. We never felt like we were competing against them. It was nothing like the old days of late night. I always loved being on Stephen’s show, I loved having him on ours. I hope we’re able to do that again. I hope he comes to visit as many times as possible.”

Kimmel concluded, “On behalf of everyone at our show, we want to say to everyone at your show: It has been a pleasure to work alongside you. I will be watching tomorrow night. I hope that those of you who watch our show will also tune in to CBS for the last time. Don’t ever watch it again.”

After he continued he monologue, Kimmel quipped, “Okay, now let’s talk about the a****** who forced them off the air.”

Meyers also spoke emotionally about the show ending, calling it “a very sad week for television in America.”

“I’m heartbroken,” the host of Late Night with Seth Meyers told Deadline in an interview on the eve of Colbert’s final Late Show broadcast. “It’s very sad to lose a colleague and even sadder to lose a time slot. It would be one thing if Stephen was leaving and a younger person was getting a chance to have one of these jobs that are — as someone who’s experienced it — so exciting to have. So just in general, I think it’s a very sad week for television in America.”

“I’m also very optimistic that Stephen’s next chapter is going to be exciting for him and for the rest of us,” Meyers added. “I think he’s been slow-playing this as what his next step was going to be for years and I’m very excited it’s going to happen.”

Meanwhile, Oliver used the closing moments of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to praise Colbert while taking a direct shot at CBS executives.

As the credits rolled, Oliver told viewers, “Please enjoy Colbert’s final shows. He’s the f***** best. Good night and good luck, m***********!” Mediaite reported that the sign-off deliberately echoed David Letterman’s jab at “the folks at CBS” during his own recent appearance on The Late Show.

Throughout his farewell week, Colbert welcomed a series of high-profile guests and tributes celebrating his impact on late-night television.

Stewart also appeared during Colbert’s farewell week on May 19, surprising his longtime friend with a pair of electric recliners and a special performance from Andra Day.

Reflecting on his own experience with cancellation, Stewart shared advice he once received from David Letterman, “Don’t confuse cancellation with failure.” He then joked that Letterman added, “In this case, it is also a failure.”

In the absence of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS is essentially renting out the 11:35 p.m. time slot. Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen will take that window in a time buy model, Deadline reported last month.

Despite the end of The Late Show, reports suggest Colbert is already moving toward new projects, including co-writing a future The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past screenplay.