Stephen Colbert reveals 'the late show' cancelation 'saved' his life, gets real about burnout
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Stephen Colbert is getting ready for a whole new chapter after the cancelation of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'. The host’s final episode is set to air on May 21 at 11:35 pm on CBS.
While fans are still processing the end of the long-running late-night show, Colbert says the exit is not entirely a bad thing. The comedian admitted there’s actually an upside to stepping away, joking that the cancelation may have “saved his life.”
Explaining the reason for the comment, Colbert shared that hosting a nightly talk show demands a great deal of energy and commitment. He said doing the show every single day "takes a lot of bone marrow," pointing to the exhausting schedule and constant pressure.
Stephen Colbert says exiting 'The Late Show' will give him time to think
Speaking to PEOPLE, Colbert reflected on what life could look like after the end of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' "And now I’ll be stepping down with enough time, enough energy to do other things that I want to do," Colbert said, adding that he’s finally beginning to think about what comes next beyond late-night television.
The 62-year-old comedian, who took over the CBS desk in 2015 after David Letterman exited the show, admitted that hosting the series demanded nearly all of his focus. "There’s so much to think about to do the show," he explained.
"So I don’t have much better of an answer than most college seniors do, which is I’ve got to finish this first, because it takes almost the entirety of my brain to do this show. So we’ll land this plane, and we’ll check out the view from there." Still, Colbert hinted that he’s open to whatever opportunities may come next, jokingly adding, “But I’m available. Yes.”
Even though the show’s ending marks the close of an era, Colbert seems ready to trade the nonstop grind for a fresh start, and maybe a little more sleep, too.
Stephen Colbert talks about his personal life
'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' was canceled by CBS in July 2025 after the network cited financial losses. Soon after, he confirmed that the show would officially end in 2026.
Now, with the final week approaching, Colbert says his mind is more on family than on the show ending. His 24-year-old son John is graduating from college. His brother Tommy Colbert is getting married, making this a huge week for people closest to him, as per the showbiz cheat sheet.
“I’m glad a lot of the week is not about me,” Colbert shared. “It’s about the people I love more.” The host also talks about what he hoped viewers would receive from watching him every night.
"I hope they laughed," Colbert said. "I hope they felt better at the end of the day. I mean, that's it. We're there. We're the last thing you see. A lot of things happen in a day, but we bat last, and so we get the last take that people hear before they go to bed, and I hope it made their day better."
