Stephen Colbert's Late Night Return Is 1 Big Insult To CBS

Published Sep 16, 2026, 9:30 AM EDT

Laura Hurley has been writing about the entertainment industry for more than twelve years, after a decade as a content producer and editor at CinemaBlend after writing for WhatCulture and Examiner. Attending events like SCAD TVfest and San Diego Comic-Con over the course of her career, she has been immersed in the world of network, streaming, and cable TV. 

Stephen Colbert's time as a late night TV host came to an end in 2026 when the final credits rolled on CBS' The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The host stayed away from the late night sphere for months after The Late Show's series finale in May, but he made a very triumphant return after some major wins at the 78th Emmy Awards. Instead of coming back to CBS, however, he showed up on ABC. The home he chose for his late night return was Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Colbert spent more than a decade on CBS as host of The Late Show, which was consistently the most-watched late night talk show across the various networks. The cancellation, which sent shock waves throughout the entertainment industry when first announced back in July 2025, marked the end of his streak of hosting gigs. He was the star of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report before moving to CBS for The Late Show.

As such, Colbert hasn't spent much time on ABC, where Jimmy Kimmel is the king of late night television. His appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! was a treat for any viewers who have been missing him from the late hours of weeknight TV, and he had a lot to celebrate. After several wins at the 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, The Late Show won the top prize at the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Stephen Colbert's acceptance speech was one of the highlights of NBC's Emmys broadcast, but he was able to be a bit more unrestrained (with no risk of being played off by the band) when he cut loose with Jimmy Kimmel the next night.

Stephen Colbert's Jimmy Kimmel Live! Appearance Explained

ABC

Stephen Colbert joined Jimmy Kimmel for his first late night appearance after The Late Show ended, and it was his seventh appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in total. The two comedians bantered for more than twenty minutes in the episode on September 15, about everything from Colbert's new Lord of the Rings project to what really happened at the table full of hosts at the Emmys. Add on Colbert shaving his beard on camera, and his guest spot on the ABC show delivered the kind of late night gold that CBS has been missing for the past several months.

While it's too soon for any viewership numbers to reveal how many people tuned in to ABC to watch Kimmel banter with Colbert, the numbers are already in for how CBS is faring without The Late Show. The network replaced the long-running show with Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen, which finished its first month in the schedule back in July.

According to LateNighter, Comics Unleashed was averaging just under 700,000 viewers per episode, putting it well behind Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s 2.7 million and The Tonight Show's 1.4 million. The 700,000 viewers looks even worse when compared to the audience size for The Late Show during the same time period, just one year earlier. In 2025, Colbert's show was averaging 1.8 million viewers. CBS isn't exactly winning late night television without The Late Show, and that's clearer than ever after the Emmy Awards and Colbert coming to Kimmel.

Colbert's Emmys Win Makes His Late Night Return Sweeter

ABC

While many of the categories were up for grabs during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, one thing was fairly certain: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was likely to do well. The late night series would go on to win almost all the categories in which it was nominated, including the biggest category of all for a variety show.

2026 Category	Status
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series	Won
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series	Won
Outstanding Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series	Nominated
Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork	Won
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction	Won
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special	Nominated
Outstanding Variety Series	Won
Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming	Won
Outstanding Music Direction	Nominated

Colbert was riding high when he joined Jimmy Kimmel on his late night show on September 15, just 24 hours after he accepted the trophy for Outstanding Variety Series on behalf of the show. In a touching twist, The Late Show actually beat Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the Variety category, but Kimmel showed no bitterness about the loss. The Late Show also came out on top of The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and Saturday Night Live.

Why Jimmy Kimmel Live! Is Colbert's Best Late Night Return Option

ABC

While Stephen Colbert got plenty of support from his fellow late night hosts over the year since CBS cancelled The Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was fun place for his return. The two men are real-life friends, and that chemistry shows whenever they share the screen. Colbert was also more at-ease than he ever could be on The Late Show as host, to the point that he went with Kimmel's suggestion that he shave his beard on camera.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! could even be a great place for Colbert to come back to late night television as a host, if he feels the draw back to network TV. Kimmel regularly takes a break over the summer, and the show is taken over by guests. Colbert could come back as a guest host without signing on for another whole show. For now, however, Colbert he doesn't seem to be missing the grind of a daily show that had to tackle the latest news of the day, on top of the usual guest interviews.

The Late Show was a strong showcase for the host over eleven seasons, and the whole team deserved the big Emmy wins this year. Still, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! was absolutely the right platform for Colbert to come back to late night, rather than anything on CBS.

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Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show that premiered in 2003 on ABC. Created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the program features a mix of comedic monologues, celebrity interviews, live musical performances, and a variety of sketches, offering a humorous take on the day's news and popular culture.