Search the Ed Sullivan Theater on Google Maps and the address will auto-correct to: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Broadway, New York, NY.
For 33 years, CBS’ flagship late-night talk show has been synonymous with the historic performing arts venue (that’s more than a decade before Google Maps first debuted on BlackBerry devices). But after decades of cultural dominance, its famed run has come to a timely end. Paramount Skydance announced last July that it was discontinuing “The Late Show,” citing it as a “purely a financial decision” in the wake of a shifting media landscape where ad dollars and audiences are moving away from late night shows.
Ten months later, hundreds of his most fierce longtime viewers gathered outside the Ed Sullivan Theater ahead of the final “Late Show” taping on Thursday night to celebrate — and mourn — the end of a cultural era. Variety spoke with dozens of fans on the ground about how they first reacted to the cancellation and what they believe was the root cause of CBS’ decision to end the series.
“I was not very happy with CBS. At all.”
“The Late Show” cancellation was met with widespread debate over how much Colbert’s criticisms of the Trump administration factored into Paramount Skydance’s decision, which Colbert himself said was “a reasonable thing to think” but refused to “engage in that speculation.” His fans were not as hesitant to speculate.
