There has been no shortage of support for Stephen Colbert following the cancellation of The Late Show last year. Now, as we sadly count down the days on the 2026 TV schedule to his final telecast, the love hasn’t stopped pouring in. In fact, at the Golden Globes, tons of celebrities showed their appreciation for the host with some very kind words, while others, including Judd Apatow, shared their thoughts on the show coming to an end.
Last summer, when Colbert’s program got canceled, the late-night hosts reacted and shared their support for him alongside a bunch of other celebrities, including Judd Apatow. Then, at the 2026 Golden Globes, he showed that level of support again when he was asked to talk about the host for The Late Show's TikTok on the red carpet. In response, he said:
There’s still time. We can get that extension; let’s take another run at it.
The Knocked Up director wasn’t the only one asking Colbert to stay on the air, either. Kumail Nanjiani used his time on the carpet to talk about why the host needs to keep doing The Late Show, saying:
Please don’t stop. Can he not? Can he uncancel it? Do something new.
Sadly, Colbert will have to stop on Thursday, May 21. That’s the official last day of his show. However, for the next four-ish months, he’ll keep going on this “flaming toboggan ride” and delivering episodes every weekday on CBS at 11:35 p.m. ET that show why people were so quick to sing his praises on the red carpet.
Now, while many don’t want The Late Show to end, the sad reality is that it will. So, the question becomes: What will Stephen Colbert do next? Well, Colbert has joked about his next gig and asked Netflix or Amazon to call him. He’s also made it clear that he wants to “land this plane” in reference to his current show, and noted that that's where his full focus is at the moment.
Well, while Colbert might have his focus on finishing The Late Show strong, others have ideas. For example, on this red carpet, Overcompensating star and comedian Mary Beth Barone threw out this idea:
Run for president.
It certainly will be interesting to see what Stephen Colbert does after his show comes to an end. However, whatever it is, I’m sure tons of people will be ready and willing to support him.
That was shown in this video too, as the other celebrities who spoke to the show on the red carpet were quick to compliment Colbert with words like:
- “Stone cold fox.” -Ayo Edebiri
- “Legend. Articulate. Kind.” -Paul Mescal
- “Wise, intelligent hero.” -Mark Ronson
- “Hilarious. Insightful. Iconic.” -Paul W. Downs
- “Poised. Regal. Joyus.” -Hudson Williams
- “Lovely, gentleman, sensitive.” -Keegan Michael Key
- “I love Stephen Colbert. I wrote Stephen, you can ask my publicist, a literal love letter.” -Justine Lupe
That’s not even all of them, either. There’s more.
So, all this is to say, the love for Stephen Colbert is strong, and so is the anger toward his show’s cancellation. Even though it’s been months since the news broke about The Late Show ending, and there are still months left before its final episode, people are still ready and willing to sing the praises of this late-night show host, and I love to see it.
