6 hours ago
2
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Many questioned the timing of and motivation for the announcement, noting that Mr. Colbert hosted the most-watched show in late night television.
July 17, 2025, 10:43 p.m. ET
The first people to hear that CBS was canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” reacted to the news loudly, and viscerally, with a chorus of “No!” that turned into a sustained round of boos.
They were sitting in the audience in the Ed Sullivan Theater in Midtown Manhattan when an emotional Mr. Colbert announced the decision at the conclusion of the taping of his Thursday night show.
Among those who were watching was Claire DeSantis, 29, who lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. After the show concluded, she said, Mr. Colbert told the audience there would be an alternate taping of the cold open.
“I thought it was going to be a fun surprise,” she said.
Instead, Mr. Colbert stumbled a few times on the opening line — “Oh hey, everybody!” — before delivering the announcement about the cancellation in a single take. Ms. DeSantis, who does not regularly watch the show and wanted to go for the experience, said she cried, but not everyone in the audience was in tears as they left the theater. She called her mother and roommate to tell them what had happened.
“I thought this was a legacy show,” Ms. DeSantis said. “I was just really surprised that it’s just going away completely.”
