Hours after Colbert’s final Late Show aired, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social at 2 a.m., declaring the host had “no talent, no ratings, no life.” The Nielsen data that followed had a different read on at least one of those three claims.
In the week before his CBS exit, Colbert dominated late-night ratings, averaging more than 3.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen. The Late Show usurped Fox News’ Gutfeld!, which had previously held the top spot throughout all of 2026.
From there, the finale itself went further. An estimated 6.74 million people tuned in, more than doubling his current season weeknight average of 2.69 million viewers. That number surpasses The Late Show’s premiere in 2015, which drew 6.55 million.
Before that, the penultimate week had already produced something notable. Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Jimmy Fallon joined The Late Show on May 12 for CBS’s most-watched broadcast in three years, netting 4.1 million viewers. Kimmel and Fallon both aired reruns on Thursday night in solidarity.
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The finale featured Jon Stewart, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd and Paul McCartney, who first performed at the Ed Sullivan Theater with the Beatles in 1964. McCartney closed the show performing “Hello, Goodbye” with Colbert.
The defining exchange of the night came between the two. McCartney recalled The Beatles applying orange stage makeup for their 1964 appearance. “But we went down there, and the girls put makeup on us, and it was like bright orange.” Colbert responded: “That’s very popular in certain circles these days.” “We set a trend,” McCartney said. “Now we know where it started!” Colbert replied. The crowd understood the reference without needing it explained.
Going back to April, Colbert told The New York Times: “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.”
CBS called it financial, stating in a formal announcement that the cancellation 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.”
The Paramount-Skydance merger required FCC approval from the Trump administration at the time. Colbert had called the $16 million 60 Minutes settlement a “big, fat bribe” days before the cancellation was announced. Jon Stewart, who appeared on the finale, described the broader pattern as institutional “fear and pre-compliance” toward the Trump administration.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
