Stephen Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’ Finale Pulls Record-Setting 6.74 Million Viewers
Stephen Colbert's finale of 'The Late Show' attracted a record 6.74 million viewers, marking the show's highest-rated weeknight episode ever. This significant viewership surge comes just before the show's cancellation by CBS, which cited financial reasons. Colbert's final episode featured notable guests and a heartfelt farewell from the host, who reflected on his time in late-night television.
- ▪The finale of 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' drew 6.74 million viewers, a record for the show.
- ▪This episode surpassed the show's premiere viewership of 6.55 million in 2015.
- ▪CBS announced the cancellation of the show in August 2025, citing financial reasons.
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| Original publisher | Rolling Stone |
| Canonical URL | https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/stephen-colbert-the-late-show-finale-sets-record-viewers-1235567792/ |
| Publication time | Fri, 22 May 2026 21:25:53 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-22T21:32:03.027Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-22T21:32:03.027Z |
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| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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Out With a Bang blogherads.adq.push(function () { blogherads .defineSlot( 'inlineoop', 'gpt-rslogo-140-article-dsk-tab-uid3' ) .setTargeting( 'pos', 'rslogo140' ) .setSubAdUnitPath("tv-movies\/article\/logo") .addSize([[1,1]]) ; }); Stephen Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’ Finale Pulls Record-Setting 6.74 Million Viewers It marks the show's most-watched weeknight episode of all time By Maya Georgi Maya Georgi Contact Maya Georgi on X Contact Maya Georgi by Email How Xavi Leveled Up With His Second LP ‘Dosis’ The All-American Rejects Are Rebels Without a Cause on ‘Sandbox’ Sara Bareilles to Kick Off Rolling Stone Residency at New York’s Cherry Lane Theatre View all posts by Maya Georgi May 22, 2026 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' during Thursday’s May 21, 2026 show.
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