For Stephen Colbert’s final Late Night Show, which concluded on May 21, CBS announced a controversial decision to air a rerun of Jimmy Kimmel Live! That day, the network confirmed the show would begin again after ABC confirmed its timeslot would feature a repeat following new episodes aired earlier in the week (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). The decision came out of deference to Colbert’s farewell, per news site LateNighter. While Kimmel did the same thing in May 2015 for Letterman’s final appearance, Variety reached out to his reps for comment.
Kimmel will guest on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert alongside NBC’s Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, along with HBO’s John Oliver, alongside an ensemble of hosts who previously hosted the late-night team behind Strike Force Five. This lineup includes notable guests like John Krasinski, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Pedro Pascal, and Tom Hanks, alongside special segments such as Kids Pitch, Colbert Questionert, and a Broadway performance featuring Annaleigh Ashford. Meanwhile, CBS canceled The Late Show in July 2025, citing financial concerns, though critics argue the decision was more about censorship than profit. Letterman, a vocal critic of the network, called the move a “lying weasels” statement, calling it a betrayal of the late-night audience. This decision also ties into broader tensions between media companies and corporate interests, with Paramount Global seeking approval from Trump’s FCC to sell the network to Skydance Media.
