Stephen Colbert<\/strong> is livid about CBS axing The Late Show With Stephen Colbert<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 and as the host stares down the May 2026 end of his TV reign, he\u2019s secretly aiming to deliver as much payback as possible on his way out the door, sources say.<\/p>\n Colbert, 61, announced the cancellation<\/a> himself in front of his talk show\u2019s audience on the July 21 broadcast and joked that bosses kicked him to the curb because of his now-shaved mustache.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is worse than fascism. This is \u2019stache-ism,\u201d the funnyman quipped<\/a>.<\/p>\n An insider says, \u201cHe can joke about it all he wants, but that doesn\u2019t take away [the fact that] he\u2019s losing millions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to hit him hard and affect his lifestyle. He\u2019ll struggle to make that kind of money anywhere else. He\u2019ll probably move on to some self-indulgent podcast with a fraction of the pay.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the insider, \u201cfurious\u201d Colbert is a \u201cmoney-hungry guy\u201d whose ego is wounded \u2014 especially because he believed the show\u2019s ratings were better than his rivals.\u201d<\/p>\n The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em> was reportedly canceled over financial pressures, the heated political climate and declining viewership.<\/p>\n The sharp-witted satirist has received support from industry colleagues, including The Tonight Show<\/em>\u2019s Jimmy Fallon<\/strong>; Jimmy Kimmel<\/strong>, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em>; and David Letterman<\/strong>, his Late Show<\/em> predecessor, who retired in 2015.<\/p>\n The insider confides, \u201cColbert\u2019s going to be calling on them to put the boot in those people that fired him and the network as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n Shortly after news of the cancellation broke, Letterman, 78, ridiculed the Tiffany Network on social media by writing<\/a>, \u201cYou can\u2019t spell CBS without BS.\u201d<\/p>\n However, sources say execs are standing by their decision to end The Late Show<\/em> for good.<\/p>\n The insider adds, \u201cThe show\u2019s bosses said Colbert was losing them money and insisted they held on as long as they could. They think it\u2019s outrageous that he has a bitter taste in his mouth after they paid him so handsomely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s ending badly with the way Colbert\u2019s handling it and getting worse because he\u2019s getting angrier and feeling righteous \u2014 especially with the support he\u2019s receiving.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging.nationalenquirer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/lrphotos125837-copy-scaled-e1754422990543.jpg\")
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