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Stephen Colbert<\/a> will be missed when his The Late Show<\/em><\/a> leaves TV in May.<\/p>\n Actor John Lithgow<\/a> reminded the late-night host of that Monday when he stopped by the CBS staple.<\/p>\n The Conclave <\/em>actor and poet read Colbert some words on the situation:<\/p>\n “The time has arrived\/For us all to prepare\/For the doleful departure of Stephen Colbert,” Lithgow began. “How will we last in the gaping black hole\/That’s left in the absence of his merry soul?”<\/p>\n Colbert and his series are scheduled to end in just over two months. The franchise debuted with David Letterman as host in August 1993. Colbert took over in September 2015, and the final episode will be Thursday, May 21.<\/p>\n Colbert announced the news during a taping of Late Night With Seth Meyers<\/em> in January. It followed CBS’ revelation in July that the show would not return<\/a> for another season.<\/p>\n Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our <\/em><\/strong>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert<\/em> will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season,” the network said in a statement. “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show <\/em>franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.”<\/p>\n The statement added that the cancellation was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”<\/p>\n Questions about the end<\/a> of the series and the timing of it have persisted, though.<\/p>\n