Jimmy Kimmel blasts CBS over ‘The Late Show’ cancellation as he supports pal Stephen Colbert

Jimmy Kimmel blasted CBS for axing “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after 10 seasons while throwing his support behind his friend and fellow late-night host.

“Love you Stephen. F–k you and all your Sheldons CBS,” Kimmel wrote on his personal Instagram story Thursday, appearing to reference CBS’s hit “The Big Bang Theory” spinoff, “Young Sheldon.”

The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host’s outburst comes as the network announced its plan to cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in May 2026, citing “purely a financial decision.”

The network said it considered the 61-year-old late-night host “irreplaceable” and that “the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television.”

The decision marks the end of CBS’s historic late-night programming, which began when David Letterman left NBC in 1993 to host “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Letterman left his iconic show in 2015, and Colbert stepped in as host after gaining popularity on “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”

Colbert — who said he was made aware of the news Wednesday evening — addressed the cancellation during the taping of Thursday’s show at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York.

“Before we start the show, I want to let you know something I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the ‘Late Show’ in May,” he told the audience, who booed profusely over the news.

“I share your feelings,” Colbert replied.

Colbert assured the audience he was not “being replaced,” but that the network was ending the “Late Show” franchise entirely.

“I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners. I’m so grateful to the Tiffany Network for giving me this chair and this beautiful theater to call home,” he said.

Colbert then reflected on his time as host and told the audience how “grateful” he was for the fans who “joined us every night in here, out there, all around the world, Mr and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea.”

“I’m grateful to share the stage with this band every night. I am extraordinarily deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here,” he said.

“We get to do this show for each other — every day, all day. And I’ve had the pleasure and responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years.”

Colbert said he wishes “somebody else” were taking over instead of seeing the show end for good.

He then concluded his statement by saying he’s “looking forward” to putting on the show with the “usual gang of idiots for another 10 months.”

“It’s going to be fun,” he assured.

Kimmel and Colbert aren’t just late-night TV peers, but good friends who share the same agent, James “Babydoll” Dixon, Kimmel revealed while appearing as a guest on Colbert’s show in 2015.

The hosts also revealed that viewers and critics expected them to be enemies. Kimmel said he believes it stems from the historic feud with their predecessors, Letterman and Jay Leno.

“People want us to fight and everything like that,” Kimmel said while appearing as a guest on Colbert’s show in 2015. “It’s weird.”

“People thought it would just continue like the crusade,” Kimmel said. “I like you, though. I might even love you.”

“Really?” Colbert responded.

“If you died, I’d cry like a baby,” Kimmel shared. “God forbid.”

“Wow. If I didn’t have a show, I’d come to your funeral,” Colbert quipped.

They have appeared on each other’s shows multiple times over the years and even collaborated as presenters at the 2019 Emmy Awards.

In 2023, they were also co-hosts of the limited-series Spotify podcast “Strike Force Five” with fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver. 

Seven-time Grammy winner Jon Batiste, who served as the “Late Show” bandleader from 2015 to 2022, joined Kimmel as those who were upset over Colbert’s cancellation.

Batiste posted an emoji of a goat and a broken heart on his Instagram story, symbolizing the host as the “greatest of all time.”

Colbert has hosted nearly 1,700 episodes throughout almost 10 seasons and is ending despite frequently being ranked the top show in late-night television, according to Nielsen data.

The most recent ratings from Nielsen show Colbert as winning his timeslot, with about 2.417 million viewers across 41 new episodes.