Jimmy Kimmel Presses Stephen Colbert to Defend Late Night TV Amid Show Cancellation

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel demanded to know why Stephen Colbert was being asked to make a case for Late Night's existence during Monday's episode of "The Late Show," joined by Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon and John Oliver.

Colbert said he had faced the question several times in interviews ahead of his show's end. He put it to the other late-night hosts during their joint appearance.

"I would say I look at the figures, and the fact of the matter is more people are watching late-night television now—I know everybody gets crazy—than when Johnny Carson had a lot of people watching one show," Kimmel said. "But we have a lot of shows, 30,000 people watching each one, and it adds up. People watch us on YouTube now. People have a lot of different options, and yet they still keep coming to us."

"Why should you have to defend late night? Why should that question even be asked?" Kimmel asked Colbert. "Like Ryan Seacrest doesn’t get asked about 'Wheel of Fortune' or whatever the hell he’s hosting."

Colbert asked the group if they had overlooked anything in the appearance marking the end of "The Late Show," set for May 21.

"The outrage that your show is being thrown off the air?" Kimmel replied. "I am waiting for angry Stephen to come out. I want to see you go nuts."

The audience began chanting Colbert's name.

"That's exactly what they shouted at Bruce Banner in the lab before things went south," John Oliver said, referencing the Marvel character Hulk.

Kimmel added, "When this guy takes off his glasses and shakes out his hair, it's the sexiest goddamn thing that you've ever seen."

Kimmel also took shots at CBS, noting that people canceled Disney+ subscriptions when he was taken off the air.

"Why aren't you people canceling Paramount+? Because you didn't have it in the first place?" he quipped.

Fox News Digital reached out to Paramount for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Kimmel told the LateNighter on Monday that he won't air a new episode the night of Colbert's final show. He did the same for David Letterman's finale.

CBS announced in 2025 that "The Late Show" would end at the close of its season in May, citing financial reasons. Many politicians and commentators suggested pressure from the Trump administration played a role.

Colbert told The Hollywood Reporter there is no definitive proof of political motives, but he views it as the most likely explanation. He noted the traditional broadcast model faces trouble amid media changes but added, "There are many people who believe there was another reason. And, as I said in the most measured tones I could muster, there is a reason why people believe that. The network had clearly already done it once by cutting that $16 million check to the Trump administration."