As we’ve worked our way through the 2025 TV schedule, late-night TV has had to bob and weave its way through some unexpected challenges and choices. This, obviously, includes the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Now, the CBS program has been operating under the knowledge that it will end for good in May. This week, though, no new episodes will be airing, which can come off as concerning. However, there’s no reason to panic yet.
Between the cancellation of The Late Show and Jimmy Kimmel being pulled from the air unexpectedly, there’s reason to be worried about late-night shows when their schedules don’t seem normal. However, this week, we (as far as we know) don’t have a reason to be worried about the fact that Stephen Colbert’s show will be airing reruns for at least the next five episodes.
For context, last week, the guests who were set to appear on Colbert’s show between October 2 and October 10 were revealed. October 2 was the only new episode (which you can stream with a Paramount+ subscription), as he welcomed Lady Gaga on Thursday. The Friday episode was a repeat episode, and now, this week, October 6 through 10, will be reruns as well.
All of them will be repeats of episodes from this September, as the episodes featuring Governor Gavin Newsom, Jake Tapper, Scarlett Johansson, Conan O’Brien, Jeremy Strong, Carrie Preston and more will be on.
Now, on the surface, this might be a bit concerning. However, it’s worth noting loud and clear that fall hiatuses for late-night hosts are very normal. It’s perfectly possible that Colbert had this week off planned. Obviously, we don’t know exactly why new episodes aren’t airing, and this hiatus feels a bit early for a fall break, but there’s no reason to believe this break is anything but that.
At the moment, CBS has not released the schedule for Colbert’s following week of shows, so we don’t know if he’ll be back with new episodes. That will likely be announced later this week, and it will give us clarity on whether the host will be back as CBS’s premiere week happens.
Finally, it’s very well-known that Colbert’s show will be ending in May of 2026. When it got canceled, financial issues were cited as the reason, and later, George Cheeks, CBS’s Chair of TV Media, cited the host’s three-year contract as a factor, too. For it to end earlier than May would be shocking, because it’s been said loudly and clearly that it will end later next year.
The host has also said he wants “to land this plane” well, and he’s focused on savoring and having fun during these final months of the show. So, there’s no reason to believe that last Thursday’s new episode was the final new episode ever.
As I mentioned, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is scheduled to conclude in May next year. While he’s not doing new episodes this week, that does not mean the show is over, unless we hear otherwise (and so far, we haven’t). So, breathe easy, folks, Colbert should be back soon with new episodes; he’s probably just taking a scheduled hiatus at the moment.