Stephen Colbert Shares Lesson of 2025 After Late Show Was Abolished

Stéphane Colbert had a huge 2025 – and he has a big lesson to share after overcoming it.

By speaking to Andy Cohen57, and Anderson Cooper58 years old, when they CNN New Year’s Eve coverageColbert was asked to reflect on the past 12 months.

“So much has happened in the last year of your life, I’m curious what you left last year having learned? What was the biggest lesson you learned?” asked Cohen.

In response, Tthe Late Show with Stephen Colbert the host, 61, joked: “What have I learned? Don’t trust billionaires!”

Colbert joined forces with The traitors host Alan Cumming in April 2025 to perform a parody song “Billionaires Are Actually Good” in an episode of The late show.

“All these billionaires are having an outsized impact on our politics these days,” Colbert said on the show while introducing the song. He added: “So you know your government understands what you guys are going through. They have to buy eggs too. Fabergé eggs. But still.”

The late night host then wondered, “Why do they also need political power and rocket launches and everyone seeing them in magazines looking all excited and horny?”

Colbert went on to suggest that the wealthy were trying to fill an “emotional void” and that the song’s existence might help them. The song’s lyrics openly mocked the interests of the super-rich.

“Some people say we should eat the rich/I don’t blame them, they look delicious,” the pair sang. “Shut up, buy their self-driving cars/And if you’re lucky, you’ll be their slave on Mars.”

Two months later, Colbert announced that CBS had removed The late showwith the final episode ending after the 2025/2026 season after a decade of broadcasting.

“Before we start the show, I want to let you know something I discovered last night. Next year will be our last season, the network [CBS] will end The Late Show in May,” Colbert said before the taping of the show’s July 17 episode.

As the audience booed, he continued: “I share your feelings. This is not only the end of our show but it is the end of The late show on CBS. I am not being replaced. All this is disappearing. I want to say that the people at CBS have been great partners… And I’m grateful to the audience, you, who joined us every night, here, there and around the world.

Co-CEO of Paramount Global and Chairman and CEO of CBS George Cheeks, President of CBS Entertainment Amy Reisenbach and president of CBS Studios David Staph addressed the cancellations in a statement at the time.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its historic broadcast in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The late show franchise at that time,” the statement read. “We are proud that Stephen has called CBS home. He and the show will be remembered in the pantheon of greats who have graced late night television.

Colbert speaks further about the end of his Late show stint during an interview with GQ review in November 2025.

“Listen, every show has to end at some point,” Colbert said. GQ. “And I’ve been on a bunch of shows that ended sometimes on our lights and sometimes by other people’s decisions. And that’s just the nature of show business. You can’t worry about it. You have to be a big boy about it. But I think we’re the first number one show to get canceled.”

That being said, Colbert admitted that he loved doing the series, but that he would also feel a “sense of relief” at the end.

“I love what we do and I love the work,” he said. “You can only do one of these shows, making jokes every night, year after year for 20 years, if you care about what you’re talking about. And that’s what I do. But there’s a sense of relief in not having to put on the tuba and go down the drain every day.”