Two Popular Late-Night Hosts Fear They Are Next To Be Canceled After 'Helping NBC Lose $100Million-Plus Per Year' — Days After Stephen Colbert's Show Was Axed
Stern, like Stephen Colbert who had his show canceled too, was a vocal critic of President Trump.
Aug. 1 2025, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
Two popular late-night TV talk show hosts fear their jobs are on the line after posting millions in losses, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, along with the weekly sketch show, Saturday Night Live, cost NBC more than $100million in financial setbacks annually. Since CBS stated that it was a "purely financial decision" to cancel Stephen Colbert's The Late Show, now Fallon and Meyers are worried they'll be next to go.
Politics Versus Money
Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers' late night shows are costing NBC big bucks in annual losses.
Even though Colbert's show was reportedly costing CBS $40million in losses annually, the host has continued to hint that constant attacks on President Donald Trump sealed his doom. NBC is taking advantage of Colbert's politically charged depiction, according to Hollywood insider Rob Shuter.
"They're letting the narrative take hold that Colbert was canceled purely for political reasons, and that works in their favor. It distracts from the financial bloodbath happening across the late-night industry," Shuter told the Daily Mail. "NBC isn't denying the $100 million [loss] because if everyone's talking about politics, they're not talking about whether these shows are even sustainable anymore."
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers both trail far behind The Late Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! in audience numbers when they air. Still, the NBC shows make up for it by being more successful in the streaming and YouTube realms for advertisers.
Colbert The 'Martyr'
Colbert continued to insinuate that his left-leaning show was the victim of a political witch hunt.
Colbert has continued to battle with Trump, claiming he was a "martyr" for going after the president and insinuating he was the first late-night host to pay the price.
The day after Colbert announced his show had gotten the axe, Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate, writing,“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings."
The Commander-in-Chief then sneered: "I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”
The South Carolina native declared in response on his first show back after the July 17 cancellation announcement, "Kimmel, I am the martyr. There’s only room for one on this cross. And the view is fantastic from up here."
Worried About The Future
Meyers is worried about the future of late-night talk shows amid a changing industry landscape.
Meyers, 51, reflected on how the future of late-night talk shows seemed bleak before Colbert's cancellation went down.
During a recent podcast appearance taped ahead of the CBS announcement about The Late Show's fate, the SNL alum said he did "fear" that his show could “end tomorrow.”
"There is this weird thing that I feel like I shifted from fearing that I wouldn’t be good enough. And now my fear is weirdly more outside of my control, which is … just at some point, the ecosystem might not support [late-night]," Meyers dished about the current state of the entertainment industry.
Above The Fray
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Fallon has avoided going hard on politics in favor of keeping his show more lighthearted.
While Colbert and Kimmel. 57, continue to base their monologues on heavy Trump bashing, Fallon, 50, has tried his best to remain apolitical. His show relies heavily on interactive games with guests while the comedian keeps his humor broad and lighthearted.
However, Fallon was stunned when Colbert announced that The Late Show was coming to an end for good in May 2026.
“I’m just as shocked as everyone. Stephen is one of the sharpest, funniest hosts to ever do it. I really thought I’d ride this out with him for years to come," he wrote on social media.
Both Fallon and Meyers were there to show support for Colbert on his first night back after the cancellation announcement, appearing together in the audience for a celebrity-filled "kiss cam" segment that parodied Coldplay outing a married CEO and his mistress coworker.
