Stephen Colbert's Late Show was cancelled by CBS for "financial" reasons, but the timing after his criticism of the network has sparked political speculation.

Stephen Colbert is officially on summer vacation. The comedian's late-night talk show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, aired its last new episode before its summer hiatus on Thursday, Aug. 7, meaning fans won't get new episodes for a few weeks.

CBS announced last month that it would not just be ending Colbert's run on the network but retiring the venerable Late Show franchise as a whole after the 2025-26 broadcast season, calling the divisive decision a "purely financial" one "against a challenging backdrop in late night."