SHOCK EXIT: Stephen Colbert BLASTS CBS Over ‘GUTLESS’ Late Show Cancellation — “The First Number One Show Ever to Get Cancelled” 😱📺

Hollywood is reeling after Stephen Colbert finally broke his silence on the shocking cancellation of The Late Show, calling it “the first number one show ever to get cancelled.”

In an explosive new GQ interview, the 61-year-old late-night legend opened up about his disbelief, frustration, and surprising sense of calm after CBS pulled the plug on one of television’s most successful and influential talk shows — a move that has left fans, insiders, and even fellow comedians stunned.

“Listen, every show’s got to end at some time,” Colbert admitted. “And I’ve been on a bunch of shows that have ended — sometimes by our lights, sometimes by other people’s decisions. That’s just show business. You can’t worry about that. You’ve got to be a big boy about it. But I think we’re the first number one show ever to get cancelled.”

💥 “Shocking and Surprising”: Colbert Speaks Out

The Emmy-winning comedian described the moment he learned about the decision as “a complete surprise.” Despite a decade of late-night dominance and a famously tight relationship with CBS, Colbert said there was no warning, no discussion — just a phone call that changed everything.

“My great relationship with CBS was one of the reasons why this was so shocking,” he said. “It came out of nowhere. We were number one, winning Emmys, and having the best run since the show started. So yeah — I was stunned.”

CBS officially announced in July that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert would end in May 2026. The network’s explanation? A “purely financial” decision.

💸 The $16 Million Trump Connection

But few believe the story ends there. Just weeks before the cancellation, Colbert had gone viral for calling out CBS’s parent company, Paramount, after it quietly paid Donald Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit related to a 60 Minutes segment.

On air, Colbert didn’t mince words. “That kind of settlement,” he joked, “has a technical term in legal circles — a big fat bribe.”

Within days, the network announced the show’s end. Coincidence? Many think not.

“I can understand why people would have that reaction,” Colbert said. “Because CBS or the parent corporation — I won’t say who made that decision, because I don’t know, and no one’s ever going to tell us — decided to cut a check for $16 million to the president of the United States over a lawsuit their own lawyers said was completely without merit.”

“It is self-evident that this damages the reputation of the network, the corporation, and the news division,” he continued. “So it’s unclear to me why anyone would do that — other than to curry favor with a single individual.”

😡 Letterman SLAMS CBS: “Pure Cowardice”

Colbert isn’t the only one who’s furious. David Letterman, the original Late Show host and Colbert’s predecessor, tore into the network in a scathing statement.

“This is gutless,” Letterman declared. “I think one day — if not today — the people at CBS who made this decision are going to be embarrassed. This is pure cowardice.”

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, never one to miss an opportunity to gloat, celebrated the news online, writing: “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.”

Fans immediately fired back, flooding Trump’s posts with reminders that Colbert’s Late Show had consistently outperformed all other late-night programs for nearly a decade — even during some of the network’s most turbulent years.

😔 “The Sewer Every Day”: Colbert on the Toll of Late Night

Despite the sting of the cancellation, Colbert also admitted to feeling a strange sense of relief.

“There’s a sense of peace in not having to put the snorkel on and get into the sewer every day,” he said, referring to the relentless news cycle that fuels modern late-night comedy.

He continued, “I love what we do, and I love the grind — but the world right now? It’s a tough place to live in the headlines every night. I’ve been doing it for twenty years. Maybe it’s time to come up for air.”

It’s not the first time Colbert has alluded to the emotional toll of nightly satire. Over the years, he’s spoken candidly about the exhaustion, pressure, and even physical pain that came with keeping up with politics, culture, and comedy in real time.

But he’s also quick to point out that laughter has always been his lifeline. “The show itself was my therapy,” he once said. “You know when a joke works — the audience makes that sound. You can’t fake it. You hook your jumper cables up to them, and that energy keeps you going.”

🏆 From Satirist to Cultural Icon

Colbert’s journey from the sharp-tongued conservative parody on The Colbert Report to one of America’s most respected late-night voices has been nothing short of remarkable.

A devout Catholic, a self-proclaimed Lord of the Rings superfan, and a devoted family man, Colbert has always been a contradiction — part philosopher, part fool, and completely fearless in his pursuit of truth through humor.

He once described his comedic philosophy this way: “The great thing about comedy is that you know when it works. It’s immediate. It’s honest. And it connects people.”

That honesty has sometimes gotten him into trouble — but it’s also made him beloved.

🚀 What’s Next for Colbert?

As for what comes next, Colbert is keeping his cards close.

The Late Show will continue until May 2026, and he’s promised fans that the remaining months will be “the best of our lives.” But after that? He’s not sure — and he’s fine with that.

“I love creating things,” he said. “That’s what I want to keep doing. I don’t know exactly what form that will take yet, but I’ve still got things I want to say.”

For now, he’s focusing on his team — the writers, producers, and crew who helped him turn late-night television into a cultural event. “They’re the heartbeat of the show,” he said. “I want to make sure we end this together — strong.”

And when it’s all said and done? He might just disappear for a bit. “Maybe I’ll take a breath,” he admits with a grin. “Maybe I’ll even go outside.”

Whatever Colbert does next, one thing’s for certain: late night won’t be the same without him.

As the man who made millions laugh in America’s darkest political hours put it best — “You can’t prove I was smoking… but you can prove I was laughing.”