NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Stephen Colbert鈥檚 ends Thursday night when the host of 鈥淭he Late Show鈥� appears behind his CBS desk for the final time.
What is planned for the finale has not been revealed but the folks at 鈥淭he Late Show鈥� have had months to prepare for the end of the network鈥檚 33-year franchise.
Guests in the final week have included Michael Keaton, Jon Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Steven Spielberg, David Byrne and Bruce Springsteen, while there’s been a wacky version of 鈥淚t鈥檚 Raining Men鈥� remade into 鈥淚t鈥檚 Raining Fish.鈥�
CBS announced last summer that Colbert鈥檚 show economic reasons after 11 seasons. But Colbert is the ratings leader in late-night TV. Many 鈥� including Colbert 鈥� have expressed skepticism that President Donald Trump鈥檚 repeated criticism of the show wasn’t a factor.
The decision to shutter the show came after parent company of Trump鈥檚 lawsuit over a 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� interview as Paramount awaited his administration’s approval of a pending sale to Skydance Media. Colbert had called it a 鈥渂ig fat bribe.鈥�
Dustin Kidd, a professor of sociology at Temple University, notes that Colbert leaves at the top of his game and as the ratings leader on late night. Canceling him can鈥檛 be explained strictly through economics, he said.
鈥淚 would argue that it鈥檚 answerable, frankly, through politics,鈥� Kidd said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a lot of political pressure levied against this show and a lot of political pressure at work within CBS more generally. And I think that has a lot more to offer in terms of explaining why this show, at this time.鈥�
Colbert鈥檚 chief rivals, ABC鈥檚 鈥淛immy Kimmel Live!鈥� and NBC鈥檚 鈥淭he Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,鈥� will both run reruns on Thursday night at the same time as Colbert’s goodbye.
CBS will fill 鈥淭he Late Show鈥� slot with 鈥淐omics Unleashed,鈥� in which comedians share stories. Host Byron Allen has vowed to avoid politics.
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