Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 22
Stephen Colbert Declines Jimmy Kimmel Guest-Host Offer After CBS Canceled The Late Show
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 22

Stephen Colbert Declines Jimmy Kimmel Guest-Host Offer After CBS Canceled The Late Show

3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 22

Summary

  • Stephen Colbert turned down Jimmy Kimmel’s invitation to guest-host Jimmy Kimmel Live! during Kimmel’s summer hiatus, with Kimmel saying Colbert felt it was “premature.”
  • Kimmel said the offer remains open anytime, even if it means stepping aside, as Colman Domingo and other celebrities rotate through the show’s summer guest-host lineup.
  • CBS canceled The Late Show in what it called a purely financial decision, though critics including Kimmel have argued the move was politically motivated and urged viewers to boycott the network.
  • 3.15 million viewers watched Jimmy Kimmel Live! on average in June — its highest-rated month ever — and Kimmel mocked CBS for boosting his ratings by taking Colbert off the air.
  • Colbert is now developing a new Lord of the Rings film with Warner Bros., leaving open whether or when he returns to late-night television.

Insights

Is Jimmy Kimmel's ratings surge a sign of late-night's resilience, or just a temporary benefit from a competitor's downfall?
Was CBS's $55 million financial swing the real reason for cancellation, or a convenient cover for silencing a critical host?
Can a low-cost 'time buy' model ever match the cultural impact of a major late-night show?