I’m uncommonly sad today.
Stephen Colbert, who has been a fixture in my life for more than a decade, is no longer entertaining me as I prepare my children’s breakfast and feed the cats.
His last show — and the last episode of “The Late Show” — aired last week.
I hate this.
It’s certainly happened before.
Earlier this year, Marc Maron exited the podcast scene, and though he is also missed, his departure was on his terms. He decided to end his podcast. I wasn’t happy, but I understood.
So, too, was Mike Gorman’s exit from broadcasting — the longtime Celtics broadcaster.
Many others. Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, and Bowen Yang from Saturday Night Live. Countless athletes.
But Stephen Colbert is off the air because of a pathetic, thin-skinned President who can’t stand anyone making fun of him and corporate cowards George Cheeks and trust-fund baby David Ellison, who required FCC approval to merge Paramount and Skydance and thought that ending “The Late Show” was a good way of currying favor with Trump and his exceptionally fragile ego.
I despise them all.
A legacy that began in 1993 with David Letterman has now ended because a sad little man could not stand listening to jokes made at his expense and had a handful of sniveling toadies who value wealth over decency and character.
And “The Late Show” was doing well, averaging roughly 2.7–2.8 million nightly viewers in early 2026, and many more after the show’s end was announced. This is as many viewers as shows like “Abbott Elementary,” “The Voice,” and “Survivor,” except “The Late Show “aired four or five nights per week.
Not just one.
And that doesn’t include streaming on platforms like YouTube, where I watched Colbert every morning.
“The Late Show” was consistently #1 at 11:35 PM, ahead of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (which I also watch) and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
But now it’s gone.
Not because it wasn’t excellent.
Not because it wasn’t popular
Not because it lacked a loyal audience.
It’s gone because one pathetic, little man has the largest, most fragile ego the world has ever seen.
So I’m sad this morning. And angry, too. I’ve lost a little laughter from my early morning solitude.
Cheers to you. Stephen Colbert. Thank you for more than a decade of laughter and joy.
I’m missing you mightily this morning.
