A Variety writer criticizes Colbert’s final season as a celebrity-fueled ego trip
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The final season of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” was dismissed as “very bad TV” and no longer connected with everyday Americans as the host was humiliated by the celebrity show in a column, Thursday, from entertainment outlet Vaety.
CBS announced in July that it has canceled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and that it will officially go off the air in May 2026. Liberal critics have accused CBS and Paramount of ending the show to appease President Donald Trump and gain approval for a long-planned merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media.
Since then, there have been a variety of celebrities reading poetry or literally singing Colbert’s praises as he prepares to say goodbye to his show, as noted in Daniel D’Addario’s piece, “Stephen Colbert’s Long ‘Late Show’ Goodbye Has Gone From Resistance to Ego Trip.”
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The Variety writer blasted “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” campaign Stephen Colbert for making his final season a series of guests singing his praises. (CBS/Getty Photo Archive)
“What has finally made it heard has been the growing respect for the host himself. The endless flowers being thrown Colbert’s way have begun to make the studio stink a little,” he wrote, noting recent guest appearances such as actor John Lithgow reading a poem praising Colbert, tributes from Betterew Midler, Jimmy Midler and the legendary Acmore. which they took off from years ago at another show to reveal a t-shirt that said, “We [Heart] Stephen.”
“The focus of the show on the misfortune of its host has grown and is surprising, especially because so many other institutions are in trouble: With everything else going on in the world, we have to go through a month-long celebration of the life of a comedian who loses his job?” D’Addario wrote.
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Stephen Colbert’s work was praised by a host of celebrity guests during his final season on his current show, such as Bette Midler. (Screenshot/CBS)
“Colbert should have been treated better by CBS, but watching one person blossom while receiving laurel after laurel does not argue for the importance of his show, since TV is not good at all, and – for this tireless political broadcaster – does not connect with the concerns of the people who turned to ‘The Late Show’ for their political views,” said the author.
In one final episode, the writer suggested that while Colbert’s public-facing career is probably far from over, “When that day comes, won’t it feel like an anticlimax, after we’ve spent the better part of a year celebrating him?” D’Addario asked.
When reached for comment, Christian Toto, host of the “Hollywood in Toto” podcast, responded to the idea by saying it “surprised me.”
He added, “It’s possible that stories like this are meant to warn Colbert that he’s damaging his legacy and future impact, allowing him to make amends before it’s too late. Variety, like many entertainment news outlets, leans heavily on the left.
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Many thought that Stephen Colbert’s career as a public figure was far from over. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital contacted Paramount, which owns CBS and Colbert, and did not immediately receive a response.
Lindsay Kornick of Fox News contributed to this report.
