A lineup of comedy’s biggest names—including Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Jon Stewart, Adam Sandler, and others—filled the audience of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Monday night to show solidarity after news broke that the show was canceled just days after earning multiple Emmy nominations.
This group of comedians, which included several rival late-night hosts, gathered at the Ed Sullivan Theater to publicly oppose CBS’s decision to end the top-rated talk show.
The appearances kicked off when Colbert invited “Weird Al” Yankovic and Lin-Manuel Miranda to perform, lifting the spirits of fans still reeling from the cancellation news.
The duo performed Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida,” humorously referencing the recent Coldplay concert CEO cheating scandal, while the cameras panned the audience, highlighting several well-known faces.
Andy Cohen shared a quick kiss with Anderson Cooper; Fallon and Meyers swapped high-fives while enjoying beers; Sandler, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (alongside Robert Smigel), and Christopher McDonald munched on fried snacks in the crowd; and Oliver and Stewart erupted with excitement upon seeing themselves on camera.
The skit wrapped with a shot of an animated President Trump holding a Paramount sign, followed by cartoon ducks resembling Trump, similar to how Paramount CEO Andy Byron was caught on camera with alleged HR chief mistress Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert last week.
Last week, Colbert took a jab at Paramount — CBS’s parent company — criticizing the $16 million settlement it arranged with Trump over the controversial “60 Minutes” interview of Kamala Harris during the 2024 election campaign.
Less than three days later, Paramount announced it would cancel “The Late Show” after May 2026.
On Monday night’s episode, Colbert, who took over the show after David Letterman’s exit in 2015, openly addressed his cancellation, using his monologue to criticize the network’s decision.
“Folks, I’m gonna say it. Cancel culture has gone too far,” he joked at the start of the show.
Despite critical acclaim, the CBS staple reportedly began losing over $40 million a year on top of its already hefty $100 million seasonal budget.
“\$40 million’s a big number. I could understand losing \$24 million, but where on earth did Paramount spend the other \$16 million? Oh, right,” Colbert joked, referencing the settlement.
He added that he doesn’t harbor any ill will toward CBS but questioned the logic behind canceling the show.
“How can it be purely a financial decision when ‘The Late Show’ is number one in the ratings?” he asked.
