John Oliver Blasts CBS for “TERRIBLE” Decision to Axe Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show—Late-Night TV in Uproar!

John Oliver isn’t mincing words as he tears into CBS over its shocking move to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. What drove the controversial decision, and how are other late-night stars reacting? The fallout could reshape the future of television comedy.

John Oliver has spoken out about the cancellation
Last Week Tonight host John Oliver has spoken out about CBS’ decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

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The comedian spoke out about the news while in Erie, Pennsylvania, to promote the city’s minor league baseball team. He admitted he was “very sad” to hear about the cancellation, adding, “Obviously, I love Stephen, I love his stuff, I love that show. It’s incredibly sad.”

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Oliver continued, “It’s terrible, terrible news for the world of comedy.” The 48-year-old, who has hosted Last Week Tonight since 2014, admitted late-night shows “mean a lot to me.” He explained, “Even growing up in England I would watch Letterman’s show, which was of course Stephen’s show, and think about what a glamorous world that was.”

Oliver said appearing on Colbert’s show was “one of the most fun things.” Speaking about the cancellation, he added, “It’s very, very, very sad.”

John Oliver has shared his thoughts(Image: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images)
However, Oliver did try looking on the brighter side. He admitted, “I’m partly excited to see what they’re gonna do for the next 10 months,” before adding, “I look forward to seeing what he’s going to do next because that man will not stop.”

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A video of Oliver’s comments was shared on Reddit, with fans quickly sharing their thoughts. “I adore the both of them,” one person wrote. “The fact that he’s been cancelled, sickens me. However, I’m with Oliver the next 10 months and beyond are going to be interesting.”

Someone else suggested, “You know Netflix could do something f—— amazing right now and get a ton of new subscribers.”

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A third fan posted, “We do watch American talk shows in the UK. They are some of the best programming to come out of the States. Really sad to see Colbert will be gone but hope he really socks it to the man for the next 10 months. (We still hate Corden though).”

“He’s so right about late night talk shows,” another Reddit user said. “There’s some kind of magic to them that is impossible to capture in another format. There is a theatricality that is going to be lost in the move to just a podcast in a room with a couple people.

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The fan added, “I mean god bless Conan, Trevor Noah, and Craig Ferguson, I’m very glad that their lives are easier now (as they have all indicated), but I do hope Stephen manages to find a similar format til 2029 because it seems like he never intended to stop this early.”

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been canceled(Image: CBS via Getty Images)
Colbert shared the news about The Late Show cancellation during a broadcast. He disclosed, “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 will be ending The Late Show in May.”

The host, who took over from David Letterman in 2015, elaborated, “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away. I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners … And I’m grateful to the audience, you, who have joined us every night, in here, out there, and all around the world.

“I am extraordinarily, deeply grateful to the 200 people who work here. We get to do this show. We get to do this show for each other every day, all day, and 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.”