The cancellation comes shortly after Paramount, on July 1, agreed to pay President Donald Trump a $16 million settlement over a lawsuit the president filed against it. The lawsuit accused CBS's "60 Minutes" of "deceptive editing" of his interview with presidential rival Kamala Harris.

Colbert, 61, announced the news during the Thursday, July 17, episode taping of his late night show, saying, “Before we start the show I want to let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season, the network [CBS] will be ending The Late Show in May.”

Stephen Colbert shocked his audience and late night fans, announcing CBS had decided to cancel his long-running show. “The Late Show” is the most-watched late night talk show on television, but it is expensive to produce and has faced declining ratings.