Jimmy Kimmel Makes Surprise Move for Stephen Colbert Ahead of His Final 'Late Show'

Jimmy Kimmel will not air a new episode during the finale of Stephen Colbert‘s The Late Show.

Kimmel confirmed to Late Nighter on Monday, May 11 that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will not produce a new episode on Thursday, May 21 “out of deference to Colbert’s sendoff.”

The show will instead air a re-run during the 11:30 p.m. time slot, meaning Colbert’s only competition will be The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

Colbert has hosted The Late Show for 11 years after taking it over from David Letterman in 2015. Kimmel made the same gesture back then, saying he had too much respect for Letterman, one of his childhood heroes, to do anything that might pull viewers away from his goodbye.

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While The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has consistently pulled in high-ratings, CBS announced in July 2025 that it would be ending after the 2025-26 TV season.

In a statement, CBS executives George Cheeks, Amy Reisenbach and David Stafp said at the time, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. 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 statement added, addressing speculation that the show was pulled due to Colbert’s frequent criticism of President Donald Trump.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs on CBS and streams on Paramount+ weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET.

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