When Does Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Return? Schedule Updates After Cancellation News

Stephen Colbert is taking a summer break, with The Late Show not expected back until early September.

The comedian has had a lot to deal with in recent weeks following the news that CBS was cancelling The Late Show. On July 17, Colbert told his viewers that the long-running late-night show had been dropped, with its final ever episode set to air in May 2026.

CBS and parent company Paramount cited financial reasons for the cancellation, though some critics believe the decision was made due to Colbert’s criticism of President Donald Trump. Paramount is in the midst of a merger with Skydance, which requires government approval.

Colbert’s break from The Late Show isn’t directly tied to the cancellation. Late-night shows usually take a summertime hiatus in August. In addition to Colbert, The Tonight Show‘s Jimmy Fallon and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel are also off the air for the summer. The Late Show and The Tonight Show are now airing reruns, while Kimmel has seen guest hosts while he’s out.

The Late Show will be back with all-new episodes on Tuesday, September 2. In the meantime, fans can rewatch or catch up on episodes they missed. This week’s reruns include guests George Clooney, Alan Ritchson, David Oyelowo, Finn Wolfhard, Alan Cumming, Bernie Sanders, John Oliver, Bad Bunny, and Leanne Morgan.

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Since the cancellation news broke, The Late Show has seen a surge in ratings. The week of July 21 set a record as the CBS talk show’s highest weekly audience share since Colbert took over from David Letterman in 2015. The numbers continued to stay strong for the week of July 28, with an average of 3.016 million viewers and a 12.51% audience share.

Colbert hasn’t let up on his criticism of Trump and the current White House administration in the weeks since the cancellation. Responding to the President’s gloating of his firing last month, the late-night host bluntly told Trump to “Go f**k yourself.”

He’s also been eyeing potential new homes for when The Late Show shuts up shop next year. On the August 7 episode, the last before the summer hiatus, Colbert quipped, “Netflix, call me. I’m available in June,” later adding, “I will also entertain offers from Amazon.”