Jimmy Kimmel Tells His Viewers to Turn Off CBS After 'The Late Show' Ends

Jimmy Kimmel showed solidarity for Stephen Colbert by encouraging his viewers not to support CBS.

"We will be off tomorrow night out of respect for our colleague and friend Stephen Colbert, and the writers, producers, and staff and crew at The Late Show, whose final show on CBS airs opposite ours," Kimmel, 58, said on the Wednesday, May 20, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Kimmel spoke out against the decision to conclude The Late Show.

"I think you know how I feel about the fact that they're being pushed out," he noted. "I hope the people who did the pushing feel ashamed of themselves tonight - although I know they probably won't."

Elsewhere in his monologue, Kimmel praised Colbert, 62.

"That being said, I think it is most important to congratulate Stephen and the team at The Late Show for all the great work over the last 11 years - and all the great work they will continue to do in other venues," he said. "I have no doubt. Everyone at that show has always been very gracious to us. We never felt like we were competing against them. It was nothing like the old days of late night. I always loved being on Stephen's show; I loved having him on ours. I hope we're able to do that again. I hope he comes to visit as many times as possible."

He concluded, "On behalf of everyone at our show, we want to say to everyone at your show: It has been a pleasure to work alongside you. I will be watching tomorrow night. I hope that those of you who watch our show will also tune in to CBS for the last time. Don't ever watch it again."

After his speech, Kimmel poked fun at the situation, adding, "OK, now let's talk about the a**hole who forced them off the air," referencing President Donald Trump.

CBS announced in July 2025 that The Late Show was ending, which was met with immediate backlash. Network executives then released a statement addressing their decision, claiming it was not "related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount" but was instead due to finances.

Some were still skeptical about the move since it came after an episode in which Colbert spoke out about Paramount, CBS' parent company, settling what he called "a nuisance lawsuit" brought by Trump. In his lawsuit, the president, 79, alleged that 60 Minutes had unfairly edited an interview of Kamala Harris.

"I do not dispute their rationale [that it was for financial reasons]," Colbert told The New York Times in an interview published in April when asked about viewers who are skeptical over what led to his late night talk show coming to an end. "I do make jokes about it."

The comedian argued both sides of the discussion.

"But I also completely understand why people would say (A) that doesn't make sense to me and (B) that seems fishy to me," he noted. "Because the network did it to themselves by bending the knee to the Trump administration over a $20 billion, settled for $16 million, completely frivolous lawsuit."

Colbert said he previously dwelled on what caused his show to end, adding, "It's possible that two things can be true. Broadcast can be in trouble. They cannot monetize because of things like YouTube, because of the competition of streaming. They've got the books, and I do not have any desire to debate them over what they say their business model is and how it does not work for them anymore. But less than two years before they called to say it's over, they were very eager for me to be signed for a long time. So, something changed."

He continued: "It behooves me not, it ain't ‘behoovy' for me, to spend a lot of time thinking about that. I have zero desire to have a contentious relationship with my network."

Colbert ultimately praised CBS for their partnership over the years.

"I've really liked working with CBS. They've been great partners. And I'd like to end it that way," he concluded. "11 years is a long time to work here. And almost 10 years before that, almost 21 years altogether, in late night. I feel so much better to be ‘grateful for' than to be ‘mad about.'"

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 8:41 AM.