Jimmy Kimmel pays tribute to Stephen Colbert.
Jimmy Kimmel Makes Rare Change Out of Respect for Colbert’s Final Show
May 11 2026, Published 5:29 p.m. ET
Jimmy Kimmel will step back from the late-night competition on the night Stephen Colbert signs off from CBS. ABC will air a rerun of Jimmy Kimmel Live! during Colbert’s final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Kimmel’s show will not have a new episode on Thursday, May 21, when Colbert is set to host his last Late Show after 11 seasons. ABC will air new episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier that week, from Monday to Wednesday, before switching to a repeat on the night of Colbert’s farewell.
Jimmy Kimmel reveals his tribute to his friend Stephen Colbert.
LateNighter reported that Kimmel made this decision out of respect for Colbert’s sendoff. Entertainment Weekly and People later confirmed the schedule change.
This move is a rare break from the usual late-night competition among network hosts. Kimmel made a similar choice in 2015 when he aired a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! instead of competing with David Letterman’s final Late Show broadcast on CBS.
Colbert’s last episode will mark the end of his time as host and conclude CBS’ Late Show franchise, which started with Letterman in 1993. CBS announced in July 2025 that it would end The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May 2026, citing financial reasons for the choice.
Colbert told viewers after the announcement that he would not be replaced as host and that the franchise itself was coming to an end. CBS has since scheduled Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen for the 11:35 p.m. timeslot starting May 22.
Kimmel has publicly supported Colbert since CBS made the cancellation announcement. He criticized the network’s decision and backed Colbert’s Emmy campaign, even putting up a billboard to encourage voters to recognize the show. Colbert later won the Emmy for outstanding talk series in September 2025.
Colbert’s final stretch on CBS will also feature appearances by several major late-night figures. Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver are set to appear on the May 11 episode. They formed the Strike Force Five podcast during the 2023 writers’ strike. David Letterman is also expected to make an appearance during Colbert’s final shows.
NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is still expected to air a new episode on the same night as Colbert’s finale, according to The Independent.
Kimmel’s decision gives Colbert a clearer path on a night that will likely attract a lot of attention from late-night viewers. The schedule change also reflects the respect many hosts showed Letterman when he ended his CBS run after over two decades at the Late Show desk.
Stephen Colbert is ending his Late Night show with a bang.
Colbert took over The Late Show in 2015 after hosting The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. His CBS program became one of late night’s most popular shows and often focused on political interviews, monologues, and current-events comedy.
The May 21 finale will end one of the longest-running brands in network late-night television. Kimmel’s rerun means one of Colbert’s main competitors will not be vying for viewers as CBS airs its last Late Show broadcast.