Stephen Colbert's next gig has already been secured amid the recent announcement that The Late Show will be canceled next year.
Colbert, 61, will be featured as a guest star on the CBS series Elsbeth, playing the role of a late-night talk show host on the fictional show Way Late with Scotty Bristol, according to Vulture. Production involving the comedian began in New York City last week and the episode was "almost surely planned" prior to Paramount's announcement that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would be canceled next year, the website reported.
Colbert had previously mentioned that he wanted to appear on the show when Elsbeth star Wendell Pierce appeared on The Late Show in February, with Pierce claiming he could potentially "make that happen."
CBS announced plans to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert effective next year, a move the network claimed was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night" and was "not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount" in a statement released last month. Colbert has served as the host of the Late Show since 2015, replacing the show's original host, David Letterman, upon his retirement.
"'THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT' will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season," CBS said. "We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire 'THE LATE SHOW' franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television."
"This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount," the network added, referencing its parent company.
Colbert shared the decision with his live studio audience during the taping of The Late Show on the day of the announcement at Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan.
"Before we start the show, I want to let you know something I found out just last night," he said. "Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending 'The Late Show' in May," he said at the time.
Paramount's decision came days after it agreed to a settlement that could pay President Donald Trump north of $30 million in relation to his election interference lawsuit stemming from its 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 presidential election, FOX News reported.