Fact Check: Is Stephen Colbert moving to CNN after CBS decided to pull the plug on 'The Late Show'?

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A rumor claiming that late-night host Stephen Colbert is heading to CNN after the cancellation of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is making the rounds on social media.

The claim began circulating shortly after CBS announced on July 18, 2025, that it would be ending 'The Late Show.'

Claim: Stephen Colbert is moving to CNN

One viral Facebook post claimed that Stephen Colbert would be “joining CNN once his contract ends,” citing alleged behind-the-scenes turmoil at CBS involving “allegations of corruption, secret payoffs, and an escalating power struggle.”

The post garnered more than 125,000 reactions, 18,000 comments, and 10,000 shares, with many users treating the claim as fact and criticizing CBS for letting Colbert go.

Fact Check: False, no evidence to back viral claim

There is no credible evidence to support the claim that Stephen Colbert is joining CNN. As of now, neither Colbert nor CNN has made any such announcement, and no reputable news outlet has reported on this supposed career move.

Snopes reached out to both Paramount (CBS’s parent company) and Colbert’s team for comment. While no response has been issued yet, all available evidence suggests the rumor is baseless. 

Viral claim traced to clickbait site and likely AI-generated content

The original Facebook post links to a clickbait website known for publishing low-quality and often misleading content. While the headline mentions Colbert’s alleged move to CNN, the actual article never discusses the claim in detail. Instead, it is filled with unrelated content and advertisements, hallmarks of a content farm designed to drive traffic with sensationalist headlines.

In fact, Snopes ran the viral post’s caption through two AI-content detection tools, both of which flagged the text as likely AI-generated.

A basic search across Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGoyielded no trustworthy reporting on Colbert moving to CNN. Given Colbert’s popularity and the high-profile nature of 'The Late Show’s' cancellation, such an announcement would have dominated headlines across both entertainment and mainstream news outlets.

Moreover, Colbert remains active on Instagram and Facebook (he stopped posting on X in 2023) and has not mentioned any future plans involving CNN.

This rumor appears to be rooted in AI-generated misinformation amplified by junk content sites. As of now, Colbert’s post-'Late Show' plans remain unannounced.

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