John Oliver has joined the list of people who have publicly expressed their displeasure about the cancellation of Stephen Colbert‘s “The Late Show”. At the end of the May 17 episode of his show, Last Week Tonight, Oliver praised Colbert and took shots at CBS with a single line.
John Oliver hits out at CBS as he praises Stephen Colbert
John Oliver paid tribute to Stephen Colbert ahead of the final broadcast week of “The Late Show”. He also blasted CBS during the final moments of Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight”. While saying goodnight to his viewers, he announced that his show won’t air this week and reminded fans to watch the last few episodes of Colbert’s show. “Please enjoy Colbert’s final shows! He’s the f***ing best. Good night, and good luck, motherf***ers,” he said.
Oliver is not the first person to use that line to take a jab at CBS. During his appearance on last Thursday’s episode of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”, David Letterman bid farewell to the network. He said, “In the words of the great Ed Murrow, good night and good luck, motherf***ers.” For those unversed, Murrow is one of CBS’s retired journalists.
Letterman’s appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” marked his last on the series that he originated in 1993. He expressed his concern about the future of The Late Show. He wondered aloud, “You know what I’m really worried about? What I’m really worried about is what will become of the Jimmys. Are they going to be all right?”. Colbert assured him that hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel would be all right. He joked, “We’ve got a plan to put them in a captive breeding program.”
In July 2025, CBS announced that not only was “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” ending, but also the entire “The Late Show” franchise. Upon facing intense backlash, the network clarified that it was a purely financial decision. However, many have speculated that there was also a political influence in the decision.
