It’s been nearly four months since Stephen Colbert said goodbye to CBS viewers after the cancellation of “The Late Show.”
Fans have been wondering what the popular TV personality’s next move will be, and now it’s been revealed that he’ll be making a late-night TV comeback … of sorts.
Colbert Will Guest on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
CBSAt the end of the Thursday, September 10 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel announced he’d be welcoming his former TV rival on Tuesday, September 15.
This will mark Colbert’s first return to late-night TV since “The Late Show” ended in late May.
“We will be back in a very big way on Tuesday night, after the Emmys with the one and only Stephen Colbert, who will making his return to late-night television,” Kimmel told his in-studio audience, prompting a burst of explosive applause.
“Right here,” Kimmel added, pointing to the guest’s chair next to his desk. “Or maybe right here. Maybe I’ll let him sit here, I don’t know,” Kimmel quipped, gesturing to the desk. “Either way, please join us for that.”
A Relationship of Mutual Respect
There was a time when late-night hosts were engaged in bitter rivalries — think back to the rancorous relationship between former “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson when Joan Rivers launched an upstart show, or the late-night war between former friends David Letterman and Jay Leno.
That is decidedly not the case these days. Colbert, Kimmel, current “Tonight” host Jimmy Fallon, HBO’s John Oliver and “Late Night” host Seth Meyers are all friends who just happened to be on competing networks.
That was clear when Kimmel’s show went dark on the night of Colbert’s swan-song “Late Show.”
In a statement to Late Nighter, Kimmel announced that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would not be airing a new episode that night “out of deference to Colbert’s sendoff.”
What’s Next for Colbert?
GettyFor fans of the “Late Show,” the big question is what Colbert will be doing next.
Writing on Substack, British journalist Rob Shuter cited a source who confirmed Colbert was devastated by the show’s cancellation.
“This wasn’t just a job — it was his identity. Stephen poured everything into that show. Losing it has hit him hard,” said the insider.
“He’s always been the one holding everyone else together,” added another source. “Now he’s the one who needs time. He’s stepped away to figure out what comes next.”
That said, Colbert remains a hot commodity in Hollywood despite the cancellation. While he’s currently co-writing the screenplay for the next “Lord of the Rings” movie, that behind-the-scenes project also provides him the time to carefully consider his next move.
“Writing is saving him right now,” an insider told Shuter. “It’s giving him somewhere to channel everything he’s feeling.”
“Television may not be finished with him, either,” Shuter wrote. “Sources say Colbert is quietly developing ideas for a new on-camera project and hopes to reunite much of his current production team.”
In fact, a source insisted that TV viewers have not seen the last of Colbert. “This isn’t retirement,” declared a source. “It’s recovery. Once he’s ready, he’ll be back.”
