{"id":5538168,"date":"2026-05-21T11:32:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/?p=5538168"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:33:13","slug":"what-time-is-stephen-colbert-last-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/feature\/what-time-is-stephen-colbert-last-show-5538168\/","title":{"rendered":"What Time Is ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Finale Airing? How & When to Watch Live"},"content":{"rendered":"

CBS is officially ending ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’<\/span><\/span> on May 21. Here’s what time you can tune into Colbert’s final show on CBS.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Fans of Stephen Colbert<\/strong><\/a> are preparing to say “goodbye” to one of late-night television\u2019s most popular shows. After more than a decade on CBS, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em> is officially coming to an end, closing an era for the long-running franchise that first launched with David Letterman<\/strong> <\/a>in 1993.<\/p>\n

CBS confirmed that the network will retire The Late Show<\/em> franchise altogether after Colbert\u2019s final episode airs later. So, while fans grab their tissues and prepare for Colbert’s final bow on CBS, here\u2019s everything to know about when and how to watch the last show.<\/p>\n

\"When
Photo: Scott Kowalchyk \u00a92026 CBS Broadcasting Inc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why Was The Late Show With Stephen Colbert<\/em> Canceled?<\/h2>\n

CBS announced over the summer of 2025 that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em> would end following the 2025\u20132026 television season. According to the network, the decision was \u201cpurely a financial decision\u201d<\/a> amid the changing landscape of late-night TV.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the cancelation sparked major debate online, with some fans and public figures questioning whether politics played a role in CBS’ decision. Colbert has long been known for openly criticizing Donald Trump<\/strong><\/a> on air, leading to speculation surrounding the timing of the show\u2019s end. CBS denied those rumors.<\/p>\n

Is Stephen Colbert Being Replaced?<\/h2>\n

No. There will not be another host of The Late Show<\/em>,\u00a0Colbert explained to his audience while announcing the news last summer.<\/p>\n

However, Byron Allen<\/strong><\/a>‘s Comics Unleashed<\/em> will be in Colbert’s late-night slot moving forward.<\/p>\n

What Time Does Stephen Colbert\u2019s Last Show Air?<\/h2>\n

Colbert\u2019s final episode of The Late Show<\/em> is scheduled to air on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 11:35 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

In the weeks leading up to the finale, multiple stars and major public figures, including former President Barack Obama<\/strong><\/a>, appeared on the show. Not only that, but fellow late-night comedy hosts Jimmy Fallon<\/a>, Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>, Seth Meyers<\/a><\/strong> and John Oliver<\/strong> <\/a>visited Colbert on his show to pay tribute to their friend.<\/p>\n

How to Watch Episodes of Colbert<\/h2>\n

New episodes of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em> air weeknights on CBS. Fans can also stream episodes on Paramount+ after they air on TV. Clips from Colbert’s show are also available on The Late Show<\/em>\u2019s official YouTube channel.<\/p>\n

How Can I Watch the Last Episode of Colbert Live if I Don’t Have Cable?<\/h2>\n

Paramount+ offers a premium subscription to watch the final episode of The Late Show<\/em> live. Other options include subscribing to YouTube TV, DirecTV, or Hulu + Live TV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CBS is officially ending ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ on May 21. Here’s what time you can tune into Colbert’s final show on CBS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191609899,"featured_media":5538172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exclude_post_from_river":false,"_cr_original_post":"","_cr_replace_post_id":"","_cr_replacing_post_id":"","mt_seo_title":"What Time Is 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' Finale Airing?","mt_seo_description":"'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending on May 21, so what time is his last show on the air? Here's when you can watch it.","_pmc_canonical_override":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[378004978,462],"tags":[373991346],"_post-options":[378006328,378007567,378007568],"coauthors":[378008357],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3209361_0057_3f3499-e1778601228782.jpeg?fit=1520%2C855","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc8i1J-neJi","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538168"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/191609899"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5538168"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5540240,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538168\/revisions\/5540240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5538172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5538168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5538168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5538168"},{"taxonomy":"_post-options","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_post-options?post=5538168"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=5538168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}