Colbert broke the news to the audience during Thursday’s taping, saying he found out last night that next year will be the show’s final season.
The audience responded with an outcry of “No!” and boos, and Colbert said, “Yeah, I share your feelings.”
He thanked the show’s band and said he’s “extraordinarily, deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here.”
“I’ve had the pleasure and the responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years,” he said, adding, “It is a fantastic job. I wish somebody else was getting it. It’s a job that I’m looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another 10 months.”
Colbert took over “The Late Show” from David Letterman in 2015. Before that, he hosted “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central.
Colbert has been an outspoken critic of President Trump and recently criticized Paramount’s decision to settle a lawsuit with Mr. Trump for $16 million over the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview — a lawsuit Paramount has maintained was completely without merit.
Paramount is aiming to finalize an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, which requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
