On July 18, CBS announced that it would be canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and sunsetting the entire “Late Show” franchise in May 2026, after the upcoming — now final — season. In the weeks following, this decision has called into question the future of late-night, as well as the present way in which the arts, which used the show’s platform for promotion, will be affected.
CBS’ “The Late Show,” specifically, was born in 1993 and originally hosted by David Letterman, having launched as a competitor to NBC’s “Tonight Show.” But late-night has been around since 1949, solidifying its place in 1954 with Steve Allen hosting “Tonight,” and it’s been a source of not only entertainment (with folks tuning in just for “the monologue”) but also a pulse-check on national culture. Across the network late-night franchises — CBS’ “The Late Show” and recently defunct “Late Late Show,” NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” — talent has come to sit on the couch to promote their book, television series, movie, podcast or Broadway show, and Main Stem productions have offered performances to millions of viewers watching from across the United States.
Not every Broadway show (or its star) snags a slot on “The Late Show,” but many do. In the past three months, Colbert welcomed Sarah Snook, Cole Escola, Jonathan Groff and Jean Smart to sit deskside and discuss their Broadway outings, in addition to featuring performances by Audra McDonald from “Gypsy” and Groff from “Just in Time.” (That list doesn’t include other talent, like Colman Domingo and Sheryl Lee Ralph, who go on Colbert to talk about non-theater projects but end up talking theater anyway.) While the media landscape has been evolving at warp speed for years — forcing publicity teams, marketers and producers to continually redesign their campaign strategies — many industry leaders said this loss of “The Late Show” and, in particular, its host, is significant for Broadway.
When it comes to individual plays and musicals, “an interview or musical performance on the program is a key component to the strategy of a Broadway press campaign,” said Matt Polk, founder and president of Broadway press firm Polk & Co. “Whether the appearance is to launch a Broadway show, keep the profile of a production high or to support an award campaign, Colbert’s platform has always had credibility because of his respect for the craft of theater — and [it] has great ratings.”
Adrian Bryan-Brown, co-founder of Broadway press establishment Boneau/Bryan-Brown, agreed. “He’s a sophisticated advocate, which is not to say the other [late-night hosts] aren’t,” Bryan-Brown told Broadway News, “but in particular, because of the style of his show, it was the class endorsement.”