Stephen Colbert sheds light on his CBS exit.
‘I’m Already Packed’: Stephen Colbert Reveals Shocking CBS Office Vacate Order Following Final Show
Late-night host Stephen Colbert stated that CBS requires him and his staff to vacate their offices immediately following the final episode of The Late Show, which is scheduled to air on May 21.
Colbert discussed the same during a recent episode of the Strike Force Five podcast alongside fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver.
According to Colbert, he and his staff have been instructed to clear the Ed Sullivan Theater premises by May 29.
'The Next Day, Everyone’s Fired'
Colbert said during the Strike Force Five podcast, "[When] we come back, I'm cleaning out the office. We gotta get our s--- out of here. No one’s got a job after that night."
"I think the next day, everyone’s fired. I think maybe the crew has some time to clear out like the studio, but the staff all has to be gone," he stated.
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Stating that his staff won't be paid after the last episode airs, the host said, "I think the set has longer, or the crew has time to wrap. But I think they're gonna start tearing s--- out immediately. I know my staff is not paid the next day. They're out."
Revealing further, Colbert said that he has already packed his belongings.
"I'm packed. I'm already packed. I've already packed my office. We all have to be out by next Friday," he said, referencing May 29.
Kimmel and other late-night hosts seemed surprised to know how fast Colbert and his team were asked to leave the office.
"You have to be out in one week’s time?” Kimmel asked.
Fallon, however, said that it sounded familiar as the same had happened with David Letterman.
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David Letterman's Exit
Letterman hosted the program for 23 seasons before Colbert assumed the role.
In a previous interview with The New York Times, Letterman described his set being dismantled and placed in dumpsters on 53rd Street immediately after his final broadcast.
Discussing the same, Fallon stated, "That was the same with [David] Letterman, too, right? Cause he tells that story."
"He left, he went outside and saw stuff going in the dumpster from his set," Fallon added.
Oliver chimed in, "They threw his s--- outside!"
Colbert then said, "Yeah, Letterman, literally the next day, they threw his set out."
Calling the whole experience "not a pleasant memory," Letterman told the The New York Times earlier this year, "The band had barely quit playing and they dismantled the set and there were dumpsters on 53rd Street, and as I walked out of the building, I saw the detritus and the debris of my life at CBS being tossed into the dumpster".
Letterman's set was reportedly trashed the day after his final episode.
In July 2025, CBS announced that The Late Show would not be continuing after its current season, stating that the termination of the talk show was "purely a financial" decision.
However, the late-night hosts have since questioned the network's explanation.