For decades, Late Night talk shows have been part of the American bedtime ritual. Whether people were brushing their teeth or nodding off on the couch, someone was always cracking jokes behind a desk on every channel. But now, after ten years at the helm, Stephen Colbert is signing off, and CBS has decided that The Late Show is not getting a new host. Could this be the signal of a new trend in late night entertainment?
This decision marks a surprising break from tradition. Usually, when one host retires or moves on, a fresh celebrity takes over the chair. It has been like a royal lineage, only with more monologues and far fewer crowns.
NBC’s Tonight Show is where it all started. Johnny Carson reigned over the format for thirty years, turning it into the gold standard of late night television. When he stepped away in 1992, the network passed the baton to Jay Leno, skipping over David Letterman in a decision that sparked industry-wide drama and one of the most famous rivalries in TV history.
Jay Leno held the job for nearly two decades, except for that brief time when Conan O’Brien was asked to take over. Conan lasted less than a year before Leno returned, and eventually Jimmy Fallon took over in 2014. Fallon still holds the chair today, bringing a blend of games, music, and goofy charm to the job.
After being passed over by NBC, David Letterman headed to CBS and launched The Late Show in 1993. He brought his signature style and cranky humor to a brand new stage and carved out a powerful place in late night history. When Letterman finally retired in 2015, Stephen Colbert stepped in and gave the show a more political and satirical tone, especially during the Trump years.
Stephen Colbert has been a ratings leader at times and a steady presence for ten solid years. But this time, CBS is not looking for the next Stephen Colbert. They’re just turning out the lights.
CBS has done this once already. The Late Late Show began in the 1990s and ran through several hosts. Tom Snyder started it off, followed by Craig Kilborn, then Craig Ferguson, and finally James Corden. Corden sang with celebrities and brought his British charm to American audiences, but when he left in 2023, CBS ended the show entirely and replaced it with a game show.
Over at ABC, the late night spot has belonged to Jimmy Kimmel since 2003. Kimmel found his groove early and still carries the torch today. Before him, the time slot was filled by Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, which mixed politics and comedy until it was canceled in the early 2000s.
NBC has also had a strong bench with its Late Night show. This series launched with David Letterman in 1982. After Letterman left for CBS, Conan O’Brien took over and created a cult following with his absurd style. Jimmy Fallon followed Conan, and then handed it off to Seth Meyers in 2014. Meyers still hosts today with a heavy focus on political commentary and sharp monologues.
These talk shows used to be like institutions. You could count on them being there, night after night. They survived scandals, host changes, and shifting political winds. But something is changing now. And not just on CBS.
The Late Late Show is gone. The Late Show is on its way out. The Daily Show has been bouncing between guest hosts and mini-comebacks, and there is no clear plan for the future. These shows aren’t just being passed down anymore. They’re being shut off entirely.
So what’s going on? The answer is probably in your pocket. Streaming platforms, YouTube clips, and podcasts are where people go now when they want late night laughs or political takes. Instead of tuning in at 11:35, people watch the highlights the next day while standing in line for coffee or riding the bus to work.
Audiences, especially younger ones, aren’t building habits around network schedules anymore. They want content on demand, not at bedtime. They want three-minute clips or twenty-minute rants, not a full hour of desk bits, guest interviews, and musical performances.
It’s not that comedy is dying. Far from it. It’s just moving somewhere new. And if CBS doesn’t feel the need to keep the lights on in the old studio, it’s probably because the audience has already left the building.
The legacy of late night will live on, but probably not the way it used to. These shows had a great run. They gave us moments we’ll never forget, from Johnny Carson’s quiet goodbyes to Stephen Colbert’s sharp takedowns. Now it’s someone else’s turn to figure out how to keep us laughing after dark. And chances are, they won’t need a desk to do it.
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