Comedian Conan O’Brien warned that traditional late-night television is nearing its end, following the announcement that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be canceled in 2026. O’Brien made the remarks during his Television Academy Hall of Fame induction ceremony, reflecting on how the industry has changed since late-night programs became a staple of American culture in the 1950s.
O’Brien stated, “Late-night television, as we have known it since around 1950, is going to disappear.” His comments came as the industry faces shrinking ratings, declining cultural influence, and a shift toward streaming platforms and digital media. Networks are pulling back on long-running talk shows once seen as central to American entertainment.
Despite predicting the end of the late-night era, O’Brien praised Stephen Colbert, calling him “too talented and too essential to go away.” He suggested that Colbert, along with other prominent hosts, will transition to new formats where they can continue producing content outside the confines of network television.
The decline of late-night programming reflects broader shifts in audience behavior. Younger viewers are abandoning network television in favor of online platforms, podcasts, and streaming services that offer on-demand, politically tailored content. For decades, late-night shows dominated pop culture conversations, but their increasingly partisan tone and declining relevance have hastened their downfall.
O’Brien, who hosted multiple late-night shows over three decades, emphasized that while the format is collapsing, individual voices will endure. He argued that the talent, creativity, and personality behind late-night hosts remain valuable, even if the medium itself cannot survive the changes in technology and audience preference.
The cancellation of Colbert’s show marks another milestone in the unraveling of network dominance. As O’Brien predicted, the era of traditional late-night programming appears to be coming to a close, replaced by a fragmented media landscape where influence is earned through digital platforms rather than television schedules.
