Stephen Colbert celebrated a bittersweet milestone on Monday, September 8, which marked his 10th year as the host of the recently canceled The Late Show.
Colbert opened Monday’s episode of the CBS talk show with a cold open starring Julianne Moore. The Oscar winner played his wife in a skit in which the comedian quipped that he had dreamed he was the host of a network late-night talk show for the past 10 years.
“That’s a long time,” Moore, 64, said, to which Colbert wryly responded, “I thought it would be longer,” referring to The Late Show’s shocking cancellation in July.
In his opening monologue, Colbert, 61, pulled no punches as he addressed The Late Show’s anniversary and its impending cancellation.
Why Is Stephen Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’ Ending? Cancellation Explained
“Of course, every anniversary has its traditional gift,” he said. “First anniversary is paper, the fifth anniversary is wood, and the 10th anniversary is cancellation. Thank you, [CBS parent company] Paramount, for remembering!”
Colbert continued, “It doesn’t feel like 10 years — except for how I feel and how I look.”
Later in the show, the comedian looked back on select memories from his 10-year tenure, including interviewing Jeb Bush on the very first episode of his incarnation of The Late Show.
As for the last couple of years, he quipped, “2024, something happened, don’t wanna talk about it. 2025, also don’t wanna talk about it for a related reason.”
Late Night Hosts React After Stephen Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’ Is Canceled
Colbert announced the cancellation of his popular late-night show during the July 17 taping.
“Before we start the show, I want to let you know something that I found out just last night,” he said. “Next year will be our last season, the network [CBS] will be ending The Late Show in May.”
As the studio audience booed, Colbert said, “I share your feelings. It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away. I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners … And I’m grateful to the audience, you, who have joined us every night, in here, out there, and all around the world.”
In a statement at the time, Paramount said its decision to cancel the show was purely “financial” and not “related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
The Late Show originally launched in 1993 with David Letterman, who moved over from NBC’s Late Night to launch his own talk show to compete with Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show.
