Colbert's sign-off shows late night's political suicide.

TL;DR

New York Sun column examines Stephen Colbert's final sign-off from The Late Show as a symbol of late-night TV's troubles.
Late-night hosts prioritized lectures over laughs, preaching to left-leaning audiences amid falling ratings.[[1]](https://www.nysun.com/article/colberts-final-sign-off-is-lesson-in-late-nights-self-immolation)
This shift shows how political bias led to self-destruction, with shows like Colbert's losing viewers to rivals like Gutfeld!.[[2]](https://latenighter.com/news/ratings/here-are-final-late-night-ratings-for-q1-2026)

The story at a glance

Hollie McKay's column in The New York Sun argues that Stephen Colbert's recent final sign-off from The Late Show—ending May 21, 2026—highlights late-night TV's decline. CBS canceled the show for financial reasons after 33 years, but McKay sees it as fallout from hosts like Colbert, Kimmel, and Fallon turning comedy into partisan lectures. The piece came out April 17, 2026, as the show's run winds down amid ongoing ratings drops.

Key points

Article frames Colbert's final broadcast as "self-immolation," where late-night sacrificed broad appeal for politics.[[1]](https://www.nysun.com/article/colberts-final-sign-off-is-lesson-in-late-nights-self-immolation)
Laughs took second place to lectures, with hosts building "politically cultivated congregations" instead of wide audiences.[[1]](https://www.nysun.com/article/colberts-final-sign-off-is-lesson-in-late-nights-self-immolation)
The Late Show averaged 2.70 million viewers in Q1 2026, still top among 11:35 p.m. network shows but flat or down year-over-year.[[2]](https://latenighter.com/news/ratings/here-are-final-late-night-ratings-for-q1-2026)
Fox News' Gutfeld! at 10 p.m. led overall with 3.30 million viewers, gaining while network late night slipped.[[2]](https://latenighter.com/news/ratings/here-are-final-late-night-ratings-for-q1-2026)
CBS called cancellation "purely financial" amid late-night challenges; no replacement planned, franchise retired.[[3]](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-late-show-stephen-colbert-end-may-2026)

Details and context

The Late Show franchise started in 1993 under David Letterman; Colbert hosted since 2015. Cancellation announced July 2025 by Paramount/CBS execs, final date set January 2026 as May 21.[[4]](https://deadline.com/2026/01/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-final-episode-date-1236698681)

McKay's thesis ties decline to post-2016 shift: hosts mocked Trump relentlessly, alienating half the country. Ratings for Colbert (2.4-2.7M), Kimmel (2.2-2.5M), Fallon (1.3M) lag peaks and trail Gutfeld!'s conservative humor.[[2]](https://latenighter.com/news/ratings/here-are-final-late-night-ratings-for-q1-2026)

Broader late-night woes include streaming, cord-cutting; network shows down 50%+ from 2010s highs. Gutfeld! thrives earlier at 10 p.m., drawing bigger crowds without heavy politics.

Key quotes

"A shift in late-night entertainment is marked by laughs coming second to lectures and hosts preaching to politically cultivated congregations." — Hollie McKay, The New York Sun[[1]](https://www.nysun.com/article/colberts-final-sign-off-is-lesson-in-late-nights-self-immolation)

Why it matters

Late-night TV's pivot to politics sped its downfall in a fragmented media world, ending a 33-year CBS staple. Viewers and networks face less comedy, more niche content; conservatives gained via Gutfeld!, liberals lost a megaphone. Watch final episodes through May 21 for Colbert's wrap-up, potential tributes, and successor shows like Comics Unleashed.[[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Late_Show_with_Stephen_Colbert)