Stephen Colbert takes parting shot at CBS.
Stephen Colbert Turns Fire on CBS Before Final Late Show Exit
May 19 2026, Published 5:29 p.m. ET
Stephen Colbert used one of his last Late Show monologues to directly criticize CBS, poking fun at the network’s news division for its coverage of President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Colbert, whose final episode airs Thursday, May 21, started Thursday’s show by reminding viewers that his time at CBS was almost up.
“We only got five shows left,” Colbert said, according to The Daily Beast.
Colbert takes aim at CBS and Tony Dokoupil on final series.
He then turned to CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil, who did not report from Beijing during Trump’s meeting with Xi. Instead, Dokoupil covered the summit from Taipei after reportedly failing to get a visa to enter China.
“All the news teams are on the ground in China to cover this epic and historic summit,” Colbert told viewers. “All except one.”
Colbert remarked that Dokoupil’s absence fit too well with CBS News’ reputation.
“Well, that is disappointing, but it does fit in with their slogan,” Colbert said. “‘CBS News: when events happen, we’re at most one country away.’”
Dokoupil’s competitors at NBC News and ABC News reported from Beijing, according to Semafor, while Dokoupil stayed over 1,000 miles away in Taiwan. It was unclear whether the visa issue was due to a late application or something else, The Daily Beast reported.
The joke came during a tense time for Colbert, who has criticized CBS and its parent company, Paramount, ever since the network announced last year that The Late Show would end in May 2026.
Ribert Reich pays tribute to Colbert.
CBS announced in July 2025 that it would cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and retire the entire Late Show franchise after 33 years.
The network called the cancellation “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and stated it was not connected to the show’s content, performance, or issues involving Paramount. CBS News reported this decision on July 18, 2025.
The cancellation came shortly after Colbert criticized Paramount for its $16 million settlement with Trump concerning a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump had sued CBS, claiming the program was deceptively edited. Paramount was also working on a merger with Skydance, which needed federal approval.
Colbert referred to the settlement as a “big fat bribe” during a July 2025 monologue. CBS has denied that the cancellation had anything to do with his criticism.
The late-night host has become more direct in his comments about the network as the finale approaches. Entertainment Weekly reported that the last Late Show episode will air as an extended finale at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, although the network has not revealed its exact length or the final guest list.
The farewell week already features appearances from Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg, David Byrne, and Bruce Springsteen. Last week, David Letterman joined Colbert at the Ed Sullivan Theater for a bit that involved throwing furniture from the theater roof onto a CBS target.
Colbert has hosted The Late Show since 2015, when he took over from Letterman. In a People interview published Tuesday, Colbert expressed his hope that viewers would remember the program simply.
“I hope they laughed. I hope they felt better at the end of the day,” Colbert said.