What's next for Stephen Colbert after The Late Show ends in 2026?
CBS announced on Thursday evening that the long-running late night program founded by David Letterman will be retired for alleged cost-cutting measures.
However, the unexpected move comes suspiciously just days after Colbert mocked the network's parent company Paramount Global for settling its 60 Minutes lawsuit with President Donald Trump amid its pending merger with Skydance Media.
While Colbert will still host the program through next spring, he will exit CBS as one of the biggest free agents in the comedic media space. What could be next on his agenda?
A new talk show at another network or streamer?
If Colbert wants to go right back to the format he will exit at CBS next May, other media companies may jump quickly on such a well-known figure to come in and set up shop on their dime.
Netflix could stand as a legitimate candidate, as co-CEO Ted Sarandos has championed comedy as part of the streamer's content strategy... even that of a controversial ilk (see Chappelle, Dave). Landing Colbert for a project of his choosing would be one of Netflix's biggest catches talent-wise in a while. Netflix could also give him more creative freedom and schedule flexibility that the demands of network television just don't offer.
Letterman, his Late Show predecessor, eventually found his next home at Netflix. Could Colbert be next?
Apple could be a hypothetical suitor, but after Colbert's close friend Jon Stewart spoke out about conflicts of interest with his now-defunct AppleTV+ show, The Problem, it's not as likely a match in theory. Amazon is another possible home with its expanded streaming options, but real conflicts of interest in Colbert potentially (likely) lampooning company founder Jeff Bezos could arise there, too.
Disney already has Jimmy Kimmel at the center of its late night strategy, and Comcast has Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers settled on NBC. Warner Bros. Discovery offers John Oliver on HBO. However, those companies could hypothetically try to court Colbert for some sort of project on some sort of platform.
As of now, Netflix would offer Colbert his most natural path to a program of his liking. The streamer hasn't shied away from opinionated comedy in the past, and it's shown its willing to spend in the space on top talent.
A Daily Show takeover?
Once Jon Stewart's contract runs out on his second run with The Daily Show at the end of the year, Colbert would hypothetically be a natural replacement for the Monday slot that Stewart has reoccupied since 2024.
Colbert made his name as one of Stewart's top Daily Show correspondents before starting his own Comedy Central show, a landmark program in Bush/Obama-era political satire. Colbert returning to the network would be a huge boost to its viability, but it would require two gigantic dominoes to fall.
First, Colbert would have to be interested in re-upping with the company that just canned his program under suspicious terms. Two, Paramount, post-Skydance merger, would have to show interest in Colbert for the job... or in even keeping The Daily Show going in the first place.
It's not impossible Colbert lands here, but it seems much more far-fetched at this point.
Colbert pulls a Conan and just does what he wants
The most likely path for Colbert if he doesn't want a new home for a talk show is that he pulls a Conan O'Brien and just does whatever he feels like doing.
Ever since closing out his TBS talk show, O'Brien has hosted the Oscars, kept his podcast going, acted in an A24 movie and crafted his comedic travel show on HBO Max. He's just open to whatever comes his way.
If you'd like to know where you might see Colbert next, our best guess is wherever the wind blows him. He has the cultural cachet to basically do just about whatever he wants, and he can most assuredly self-fund a podcast at worst. He could write a book about J.R.R. Tolkien for all we know. Maybe we get a Strangers with Candy revival?
We wouldn't be shocked if Colbert takes his CBS exit as an opportunity to explore his creative chops in new spaces. While he's going to be a hot free agent for other companies, don't be shocked when he freelances.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Leanne' review: From stand-up comedian to awkward sitcom star
The multi-camera sitcom has been on its last legs, which is too bad because it can be such an uproarious format when it prioritizes jokes over the kind of comedy that tends to predominate on streaming: Pleasant enough — fun, even — but straight-up laughs aren't their reason for being. Television is cyclical, and maybe the fizzy possibilities inherent in sitcoms will eventually make their way back onto our screens. Alas, 'Leanne' on Netflix will not be leading the charge. Stand-up comedian Leanne Morgan stars as the mother of two grown children in Knoxville, Tennessee, who is suddenly informed that her husband of 33 years is leaving her for another woman. That setup, coupled with the Southern twang of the cast, may bring to mind 'Reba,' another eponymous show with a similar premise that premiered more than 20 years ago and ran for six seasons, starring Reba McEntire as a spitfire making do with her new circumstances. But the energy here is vastly different, with Morgan's genteel suburbanite hazily floating through this next chapter in her life. Co-created by Morgan and sitcom veterans Chuck Lorre and Susan McMartin ('Mom'), the series also stars 'Mom' alum Kristen Johnston as Leanne's kinda-sorta bawdy sister (she's too tame to really pop as a subversive presence), Celia Weston and Blake Clark as their aging parents, and Ryan Stiles ('Whose Line Is It Anyway?') as Leanne's ex. I wish 'Mom' were more instructive as a test case, because it also started off unevenly but eventually found its groove. The push-pull, codependent relationship between a mother and daughter, both of whom were in addiction recovery and struggling financially, gave the show its spark, as did the friend group of fellow recovering addicts, who deepened the bench of characters. 'Leanne' feels somewhat claustrophobic by comparison, and isn't populated with anyone who feels especially defined or even interesting. It's just Leanne and her sister as gal pals who mostly get along bouncing off themselves, their needy parents and Leanne's forgettably superfluous children. Most comedies built around a comedian's stand-up act draw directly from their lives. But it's worth noting that the real Leanne is very much not divorced from her longtime husband; in fact, her gentle barbs about their personality differences make up the bulk of her material. Morgan is also not an actor by training, so it makes no sense that the show didn't adapt more of her stage persona here, and instead asks her to play something unfamiliar: That tricky sad-funny middle ground of a woman whose marriage has imploded. There's a deliberate pace to the show — and to the dialogue itself — that results in punchlines just laying there. It's weird, because there's an unhurried pace to Morgan's Netflix stand-up special as well ('I'm Every Woman'), but in it she has some bite and her leisurely cadence is undercut by the sharp comedy of her material, whereas this version of Leanne is oddly bland and lacking a point of view. Exactly one joke lands. Looking at a miserable Leanne, her sister offers to share some of her pill stash: 'I got Xanax, Ativan, Ambien, I think this might be a laxative …' Leanne grabs the last one: 'I'll always take a laxative.' There's a certain amount of violence that's played for laughs, but the show seems uncertain where the humor actually lies in these moments. One episode ends with Leanne decking her husband across the jaw. In another, she finds him in the bathroom they once shared, making himself at home, and in response she grabs a shotgun, marches back in and blows a hole through the ceiling to disabuse him of this notion. If she were really trying to stifle deep rage under a polite, decorous exterior, and that was a running theme in the show — of a woman's worst impulses taking over as she's finally driven off the deep end — that would be so dark, it might come around the other side and be funny as well. But that's not the kind of sitcom this is. Leanne lives in a spacious, well-appointed suburban-style home that apparently goes uncontested in the divorce. In fact, money barely comes up at all. Rarely does divorce not affect either party's finances, but also because Morgan acknowledges the realities of money in her stand-up act. It's clearly on her mind. Spotting an array of attractive men in the front row of her special: 'Look at y'all in these half-zip golf pullovers — hello, that says 'health insurance' to me. Alright, y'all make me think of my husband, lemme tell you about him, 'cause he's got a 401(k).' (Even her grown son in real life — who loves nature so much he raised a baby beaver in his college dorm room, a story she tells in her stand-up — sounds a lot more interesting than the character on the show, whose only trait appears to be 'henpecked husband.') Now in middle age, Leanne's life as she's known it (the sitcom version, at least) has been turned upside down. Except it hasn't. She's in the same sprawling house. She doesn't seem worried about money. She didn't have much filling her days even before the divorce apparently — she has no professional life nor a social life outside of her sister (who doesn't seem to need to work, either). Leanne's existence is like science fiction — resembling something human but in a contextless bubble that has no connection to anything outside the walls of her home. 'You have a blessed Sunday,' she says at one point, and it's the kind of Southern putdown that's in the same neighborhood as 'Bless your heart.' May 'Leanne' have a blessed run. And may Morgan have another shot at a TV role better suited to her talents. ——— 'LEANNE' 2 stars (out of 4) Rating: TV-14 How to watch: Netflix ——— Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mom Defends Waiting 4 Hours In Wendy's Drive-Thru for Wednesday-Inspired Meal Instead of Going to Amusement Park (Exclusive)
A California mom is setting the record straight after a now-viral TikTok revealed she skipped a trip to Universal Studios with her kids to instead wait over four hours in a Wendy's drive-thru line for a spooky meal inspired by Netflix's Wednesday. On Thursday, July 31, Kel Warner, a Los Angeles local and theme park content creator, made the unexpected detour with her three kids, ages 10, 8 and 7, to check out the one-day Wednesday-themed Wendy's pop-up in Norwalk, Calif. The event, a collaboration between Netflix and the fast food chain, featured a custom meal and a fully immersive drive-thru experience — complete with eerie decor and surprise freebies. Solve the daily Crossword
Indianapolis Star
3 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
WWE SummerSlam 2025 Night 1 match card tonight live: Where to watch SummerSlam matches today
The WWE brings SummerSlam 2025 back to the masses with the event's first two-day lineup taking place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday and Sunday. Will CM Punk keep his promise to reclaim gold when he faces World Heavyweight Champion Gunther? Can Tiffany Stratton withstand the power of Jade Cargill and retain the Women's WWE Championship? Here's what we know about the Summerslam start time, match card, where to watch in theaters and more: The slate of matches for each night are listed below, and not in any specific order: The event takes place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. SummerSlam 2025 starts at 6 p.m. ET on both Saturday, Aug. 2 and Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. Watch all the SummerSlam 2025 action on Peacock SummerSlam 2025 airs on Netflix and Peacock, starting at 6 p.m. ET on both Saturday, Aug. 2 and Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. Watch WWE SummerSlam 2025 tonight on Peacock SummerSlam 2025 will also be available to watch at select Regal Cinemas theaters around the country. Tickets to see Day 1 and Day 2 in theaters are available on Fandango's website. Catch every SummerSlam match with a Peacock subscription Netflix offers customers three plans: standard with ads, standard and premium.
