John Oliver reacts to CBS canceling 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'

Associated Press

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John Oliver appears on “The Late Show” just moments after Stephen Colbert breaks the tongue-in-cheek news that CBS has decided to cancel the program. The host sets the scene with mock despair, insisting that the decision comes straight from upper management and is completely out of his control. Oliver walks onstage seemingly bewildered, asking whether he has shown up on the wrong night. The pair quickly turn the premise into a comedic routine, poking fun at network politics, corporate cost-cutting, and the constant churn of late-night television while letting the audience in on the joke that nothing is actually ending.

Oliver’s first instinct is to interrogate Colbert about what could possibly have led CBS to pull the plug: sagging ratings, skyrocketing budgets, or perhaps Colbert’s refusal to book another bland celebrity chef? Colbert responds with mock sincerity, citing everything from his penchant for Broadway-style openings to the exorbitant price of desk upgrades. Oliver counters by recalling how many times he himself has expected HBO to axe “Last Week Tonight,” only to find that prestige cable is still willing to foot the bill for deep dives into arcane policy. The exchange lets both comedians lampoon their respective networks while highlighting how insecure even established shows can feel in today’s volatile media landscape.

The conversation shifts to the broader state of late-night TV. Oliver jokingly offers to merge the two shows, suggesting they rename it “The Late-Late-Last-Week Show Tonight” and simulcast on every platform from CBS to Max to whatever streaming service pops up next week. Colbert riffs on the absurdity of content consolidation, imagining a dystopian future where every host must share the same desk to save on overhead. Their rapid-fire jokes underscore the industry’s existential angst while celebrating the resilience of satire.

Toward the close, Oliver gets momentarily earnest, telling Colbert that the supposed cancellation is “an insult to comedy, to America, and to bears everywhere”—a callback to Colbert’s long-running gag about bears being the biggest threat to the nation. The sincerity soon dissolves back into pure silliness as Oliver pulls out a handmade protest sign, urging the audience to “Occupy CBS” until the network reinstates the show. Colbert, unable to keep a straight face, promises to join any picket line that offers free cookies and a brass band.

The segment wraps with the two hosts acknowledging that, rumor or not, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” remains very much alive. They toast to surviving another imaginary cancellation before teasing Oliver’s upcoming season of “Last Week Tonight.” The playful interplay ultimately serves as a reminder that late-night thrives on crisis—real or invented—and that the bond among its hosts is just as strong as their shared impulse to lampoon everything, especially the networks that employ them.

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