'Heartbroken' Stephen Colbert Struggling to Move On After 'The Late Show' Was Axed by CBS — 'This Wasn’t Just a Job, It Was His Identity'
Stephen Colbert's late night television show was axed.
July 8 2026, Published 11:41 a.m. ET
Stephen Colbert's career twist won't be easy to recover from.
The 62-year-old took a step away from the public after The Late Show came to an end on May 21. Before vanishing, Colbert didn't leave fans with any concrete plans for his career, either.
Behind the scenes, he reportedly became frustrated and is now struggling to pick his next move, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Stephen Colbert Left 'Heartbroken' After Finale
Sources indicated Colbert is struggling to move on.
An insider told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on Substack, "This wasn’t just a job – it was his identity. Stephen poured everything into that show. Losing it has hit him hard."
Colbert took over the CBS show on September 8, 2015, with both George Clooney and politician Jeb Bush making appearances.
Prior to that, he hosted his own show, The Colbert Report, on Comedy Central for nearly a decade.
Those close to Colbert in the professional world haven't heard much from him as he's reportedly "heartbroken."
It's unclear when, or if, he'll make a return to television.
Colbert Deep in Gloom at Taylor Swift's Wedding
Colbert was one of many A-listers to attend the event.
His attitude appeared jarringly different when he appeared at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding on July 3. According to attendees, he seemed "unusually subdued and miserable," despite his typical upbeat and carefree persona.
Even amid the excitement and festivities, the star was reportedly unable to put on a joyful face.
A source added, "He’s always been the one holding everyone else together. Now he’s the one who needs time. He’s stepped away to figure out what comes next."
'The Late Show' Receives Final Emmy Nomination
The nomination is in a new, combined category.
After its final seasons, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert raked in praise from fans, entertainment professionals, and critics alike.
In fact, the show snagged an Emmy nomination for the 2026 awards.
The Late Show will duke it out against The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, and Saturday Night Live for Outstanding Variety Series.
The brutal nominations slate came after the award show opted to merge Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series into the new category. Additionally, there is potential for more than one show to take home a Primetime Emmy.
The Emmy Awards will air on September 14 on NBC and Peacock. Fans can tune in at 8:00 p.m. EST for the show.
Jimmy Kimmel Picks Up Viewers
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Jimmy Kimmel supported Colbert.
Colbert's departure from CBS didn't do the network any favors. The backlash from the entertainment industry was instant, with stars running to sing his praises. Even his direct late-night television competitors like Jimmy Kimmel and John Oliver defended the TV star.
The data proved it, too.
During their first night without Colbert, the network's ratings tanked.
The show that filled The Late Show's slot, Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed, only pulled in 628,000 total viewers. That was a harsh 65% drop for the time compared to last year, according to data from Nielsen.
Fans needed to tune in somewhere, though, and Colbert's established competitors soaked up his absence in the market.
On June 1, the night he returned to TV, Kimmel's show received 2.185million total viewers, which was a 53% increase.
In comparison, on the same night, Fallon received 1.301million total viewers, a 10% increase.
