Late-night shows under pressure in a hyper-partisan streaming era
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"The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" host Stephen Colbert on the program last month. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images
Late-night comedy shows face a slew of challenges as streaming and hyper-partisan politics put more pressure on traditional networks and comedy, respectively.
Why it matters: Late-night shows used to be the crown jewel of big broadcast. Now, they present more risks.
State of play: CBS on Thursday said it was canceling "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" after the next season in May 2026.
- The network said it was "purely a financial decision," related to challenges in the late-night time slot, and was "not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."
Reality check: The late-night comedy show format, split between an opening monologue, short interviews and comedic bits, is hard to preserve for an on-demand audience in streaming, as most clips air nearly instantaneously on social media.
- Late-night shows, like the rest of linear television, are struggling from declining ad revenues amid consistent if not higher production costs associated with live daily telecasts.
Between the lines: In a hyper-partisan world, comedy targeting politics risks alienating sizable audiences or drawing ire from people in power.
- President Trump has in the past taken aim at late-night comedians, calling ABC's Jimmy Kimmel "one of the dumbest human beings ever" and NBC's Jimmy Fallon "not very funny."
- He's called "Late Night" host Seth Meyers "dumb and untalented" while demanding that NBC parent Comcast "pay a BIG price" for what he says are "political hits" against him and the Republican Party.
- Those jabs come as broadcasters face unprecedented regulatory pressure from the Trump administration's FCC. Comcast/NBC, Paramount/CBS and Disney/ABC have all announced changes to their DEI policies as the FCC investigates their diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
Zoom in: Stephen Colbert is a vocal critic of the president and his policies. CBS' parent Paramount this month settled a lawsuit with Trump that legal experts believe it otherwise could've won in court
Zoom out: The past few years has seen a slew of late-night shake-ups as networks grapple with declining viewership and ad revenue.
- Trevor Noah announced an unexpected departure in 2022 after a seven-year run at "The Daily Show."
- Samantha Bee's "Full Frontal With Samantha Bee" on TBS was canceled a few months earlier.
- James Corden, formerly host of CBS' "The Late Late Show," also abruptly exited in 2022. His show was reportedly losing around $20 million annually.
Yes, but: One surprising late-night success has been on cable news.
- Fox News Channel's "Gutfeld!," starring conservative comedian Greg Gutfeld at 10pm ET, has been a ratings bonanza for Fox News, often drawing higher ratings than its late-night broadcast counterparts.
What to watch: NBC executives years ago reportedly discussed moving the time slot for "Late Night With Seth Meyers" or taking other cost-cutting measures.
- Meyers' contract has been renewed through 2028.
