Last night marked the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The Left keeps blaming President Trump for the show being canceled, but we’re assuming it had more to do with declining ratings, alienating at least half of the country, and the reported detail that the program was losing the network tens of millions of dollars a year.
With a staff of this size, it's no wonder a profit was difficult to come by (not to mention that the host was pulling down about $15 million a year):
One of the great group shots of "The Late Show" staff posing on stage: pic.twitter.com/L2oknhvyos
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 22, 2026
You can't write classic bits like "The Vax-Scene" or hilarious "jokes" like Trump's mouth being "Vladimir Putin's **** holster" without a large and brilliant team.
In any case, Rolling Stone and other media outlets are reporting that Colbert "went out with a bang" -- nearly seven million viewers:
'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' Finale Attracts 6.74 Million Viewers, Its Most-Watched Weeknight Episode Of All Time https://t.co/qavuSEd45G
— Variety (@Variety) May 22, 2026
The ratings are in, and it’s official: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert went out with a bang. https://t.co/1myQlLBLyz
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) May 22, 2026
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" went out on a literal high note. Last night’s series finale was the most-watched weeknight episode of Colbert’s eleven-year tenure on the show... https://t.co/x5vILjaYmC
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 22, 2026
Oh, and there's something else...
If you like irony, Colbert's highest-rated weekday show had zero mentions of Trump:
We checked – there was not a single mention of Trump's name during Colbert's final episode of "The Late Show." pic.twitter.com/h9c36oRLcj
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 22, 2026
Gee, maybe they should have tried that sooner!
Joe Concha did a compare/contrast to the ratings Colbert's media fans are celebrating vs. the person he took the show over from:
Letterman finale viewership: 13.8 million
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) May 23, 2026
Colbert finale viewership: 6.74 million https://t.co/SQNaJ5O03o
And then there's Johnny Carson:
Carson’s finale: 55 million viewers
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) May 23, 2026
Colbert’s finale: 6.74 million https://t.co/IGi11ebnnW
Also, Jay Leno's final show as the Tonight Show host in 2014 brought in about 14.6 million viewers.
We're sensing a downward pattern over the last decade-plus, to say the least. DNC-TV doesn't seem to be delivering.
*****
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives, all while carrying water for the Democrats (that of course includes a few of the late night "comedy" hosts).
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