When Does ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Return — And When Is The Final Episode?

Stephen Colbert will be saying goodbye to CBS later this month after his home network of over 10 years opted to cancel the late night talk show in 2025, citing “financial reasons.” The decision raised some red flags for skeptics, considering Colbert has long been a vocal critic of President Trump’s and the cancelation coincided with Paramount, CBS’ parent company, paying a settlement of $16 million to Trump.

Speaking to The New York Times, Colbert did not dispute CBS’ claims nor the rumors, noting, “It’s possible that two things can be true. Broadcast can be in trouble… I do not have any desire to debate them over what they say their business model is and how it does not work for them anymore. But less than two years before they called to say it’s over, they were very eager for me to be signed for a long time. So, something changed.”

According to the late night host, Colbert’s CBS contract negotiations last occurred in 2023, when they encouraged him to sign a longterm contract for as long as five years. He ultimately opted for a three-year deal. Despite the show’s sudden cancelation, Colbert maintains that he does not have any hard feelings and would like to leave things on a good note as he exits CBS.

These final weeks have been a star-studded send-off for the late night host as everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Meryl Streep have stopped by the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City to wish him well. But there are plenty more guests to come in these final weeks before he leaves The Late Show once and for all.

Is Stephen Colbert off this week? When will Stephen Colbert return?

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert is off the week of Monday, April 27. Instead, The Late Show will be airing re-runs of episodes featuring Keanu Reeves, Anderson Cooper, Pete Buttigieg and more, until Friday, May 1.

It remains unclear when The Late Show will return with new episodes. But, considering the show is definitely going off the air later in May, it will have to return at some point soon for a final sendoff.

When is Colbert going off air?

Photo: Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS

Colbert’s last episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs Tuesday, May 21 on CBS.

But Colbert announced he will be sitting down with former President Barack Obama for his first interview at the newly constructed Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The Colbert interview with Obama will air Tuesday, May 5 on CBS, per Deadline.

The longtime late night host has also shared what he has planned for after the show leaves the air. He shared he would like “to do comedy” again and noted he has always been a fan of podcasts, indicating a possible new interview format for the host. But he is also confirmed to be co-writing a new Lord of the Rings movie titled Shadow of the Past, which will cover some chapters from The Fellowship of the Ring that were not covered in Peter Jackson’s adaptations, per Variety.

How to watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET. It can be watched live or on demand on Paramount+.

Paramount+ offers two subscription plans, Essential and Premium. The ad-supported Essential plan costs $8.99/month, while the ad-free Premium plan (which comes with Showtime titles and live CBS) costs $13.99/month.

New episodes are available to stream live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs.