Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Scores Major Win Amid Battle With CBS

Michelle Stein March 1, 2026, 10:53 am

Stephen Colbert, Late Night — David Livingston/Getty Images

What To Know

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert won the 2026 Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television.
Stephen Colbert has expressed bittersweet feelings about the upcoming end of The Late Show, highlighting his close relationships with longtime colleagues.
CBS announced in July 2025 that The Late Show would conclude in May 2026 due to financial reasons.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert scored a major win amid its battle with CBS at the 2026 Producers Guild Awards.

On Saturday, February 28, Stephen Colbert‘s late-night show won in the category for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television. The Late Show beat fellow nominees The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, and SNL50: The Anniversary Special in the process.

Colbert, 61, celebrated the big win on the show’s Instagram Stories on Sunday, March 1.

Stephen colbert win

During a January appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Colbert reflected on the quickly approaching final episode of The Late Show, set for Thursday, May 21.

“It feels real now,” he confessed to Seth Meyers. “It did not feel… I know it was real, but now, there’s four months left.”

“What I really love is the people I do it with,” Colbert continued. “There are people I’ve been working with… My shoemaker, Tom Purcell, I’ve known since 1988. And so, we’ve all been together forever.”

.@stephenathome talks about what he’ll miss most about working at @colbertlateshow pic.twitter.com/VRBz1rvuxB

— Late Night with Seth Meyers (@LateNightSeth) January 28, 2026

He continued, “You can do comedy in a lot of different places. There’s no place like the Ed Sullivan Theater. But it’s really the people, that’s really what I care about. That’s really what I’ll miss more than anything. And we’ll do something else together, but it feels real now. I’m not thrilled with it.”

In July 2025, CBS announced that The Late Show would end in May 2026, citing financial reasons. Colbert shared the news with his live audience, also posting a video on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Late Show (@colbertlateshow)

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“Before we start the show, I want to let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending The Late Show in May,” Colbert revealed, to which the audience booed. “Yeah. I shared 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,” he added. “And I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners.”

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, CBS