Jimmy Kimmel JUDGES CBS for Canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: “Love you Stephen. F**k you and your Sheldons CBS”

On July 17, 2025, the entertainment world was rocked by the announcement that CBS would cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after its 2025-26 season, ending a 33-year legacy that began with David Letterman in 1993. The decision, described by CBS as a “purely financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” sparked immediate outrage, nowhere more evident than in the fiery response from ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! host, Jimmy Kimmel. Taking to Instagram Stories, Kimmel posted a clip of Colbert’s emotional on-air announcement, captioning it with a blunt message: “Love you Stephen. F**k you and all your Sheldons CBS.” The jab, likely referencing CBS’s The Big Bang Theory and its spinoff Young Sheldon, encapsulated Kimmel’s disdain for the network’s decision and ignited a broader conversation about the state of late-night television, corporate motives, and loyalty among peers. But does this outpouring of support warrant sympathy for Colbert, a late-night titan whose show still led ratings? The answer is complex, blending admiration for his talent with skepticism about the cancellation’s true motives.

Kimmel’s reaction was not just a personal defense of his friend but a public condemnation of CBS’s priorities. He and Colbert share a deep bond, forged through years of camaraderie rather than rivalry, as evidenced by their joint efforts during the 2023 writers’ strike with the Strike Force Five podcast. Their friendship, highlighted by Colbert’s 2024 defense of Kimmel against Donald Trump’s jabs, underscores why Kimmel was the first to rally behind him. His “Sheldons” quip cleverly criticized CBS for favoring formulaic sitcoms over innovative programming like The Late Show, which averaged 2.42 million viewers in 2025, outpacing Jimmy Kimmel Live! (1.8 million) and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (1.2 million). The show’s recent Emmy nomination for Outstanding Talk Series further bolsters its critical acclaim, making CBS’s financial rationale seem shaky to many. Kimmel’s outburst resonated with fans and peers, with stars like Adam Scott (“This is absolute bulls—t”), Judd Apatow, and Katie Couric echoing support, while Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers expressed heartbreak over the loss of a late-night staple.

The timing of the cancellation raised eyebrows, fueling speculation about political motivations. Just three days prior, on July 14, Colbert had lambasted CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a $16 million lawsuit with President Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, calling it a “big fat bribe” to secure regulatory approval for Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media. Senator Elizabeth Warren amplified this theory, tweeting, “CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS owner Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.” Trump’s gleeful Truth Social post—“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings”—added fuel to the fire, suggesting the cancellation might be retaliation for Colbert’s outspoken criticism. While CBS insists the decision was financial, citing a reported $40-50 million annual loss, the proximity to Colbert’s monologue and Paramount’s settlement invites skepticism.

Do we feel sorry for Stephen Colbert? On one hand, his professional achievements and resilience argue against pity. Since taking over from Letterman in 2015, Colbert transformed The Late Show into a sharp, satirical platform, building on his Colbert Report legacy. His ability to blend humor with incisive political commentary made him a cultural force, and his 2025 ratings dominance proves his relevance. At 61, with an estimated net worth of $75 million, Colbert is poised for new ventures, as peers like Jon Stewart and David Letterman have suggested. His Monday monologue after the announcement, where he told Trump to “go f— yourself” to roaring applause, showed he’s not bowing out quietly. The outpouring of support from Hollywood—Ben Stiller, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Sandra Oh among them—affirms his influence and likability, suggesting he’ll land on his feet.

Yet, sympathy arises from the abruptness and perceived injustice of the cancellation. Colbert learned of the decision just a day before announcing it, a jarring blow for a host who described the role as a “fantastic job.” The end of The Late Show franchise, not just his tenure, marks a cultural loss, as CBS exits late-night entirely, leaving only ABC and NBC in the 11:30 p.m. slot. The financial pressures of late-night television, exacerbated by streaming platforms and declining ad revenue, are real—CBS axed The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2023 for similar reasons. But the political context, especially in a climate where Trump has targeted critical voices, raises concerns about free expression. Protesters outside the Ed Sullivan Theater chanting “Colbert stays! Trump must go!” reflect a fear that corporate decisions are bending to political pressures.

Ultimately, sympathy for Colbert is tempered by his legacy and future prospects. He’s not a victim but a casualty of a shifting industry and, potentially, a chilling political climate. Kimmel’s fiery defense and the broader Hollywood backlash highlight a shared frustration with networks prioritizing profit or appeasement over creativity and truth. Whether CBS’s move was purely financial or a capitulation to external forces, it underscores the fragility of late-night’s role as a bastion of free speech. Colbert’s final season promises to be unapologetic, and while we may not weep for him, we mourn the loss of a platform that dared to challenge power with wit.