CBS has announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026, bringing the show’s historic run—and the Late Show franchise itself—to a close.
“‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season,” the network said in a statement. “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘The Late Show’ franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.”
The statement was issued jointly by George Cheeks (Co-CEO of Paramount Global and President and CEO of CBS), Amy Reisenbach (President of CBS Entertainment), and David Stapf (President of CBS Studios).
CBS emphasized that the decision was not related to performance or content: “This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
“Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult,” the statement continued. “Stephen has taken CBS late night by storm with cutting-edge comedy, a must-watch monologue and interviews with leaders in entertainment, politics, news and newsmakers across all areas. The show has been #1 in late night for nine straight seasons; Stephen’s comedy resonates daily across digital and social media; and the broadcast is a staple of the nation’s zeitgeist.”
CBS concluded: “The accomplishments of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ are memorable and significant in performance, quality and stature. With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.”
Colbert addressed the show’s cancellation himself while taping tonight’s show, which the show has just released.
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Trump’s Deputies Use Medicaid Data to Help ICE Find Migrants
President Donald Trump’s deputies have completed a data-sharing deal to let ICE agents use government Medicaid data while enforcing the nation’s popular immigration laws, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Under a new agreement, “ICE will use the CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] data to allow ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE,” the agreement says,” the AP reported Thursday, adding:
The department’s assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, said in an emailed statement that the two agencies “are exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving Medicaid benefits that are meant for law-abiding Americans.”
Millions of illegal migrants have shared their identities and addresses to use the taxpayer-funded Medicaid system, often via emergency rooms and state-funded clinics.
The data is not being copied to ICE. Instead, ICE will be allowed to verify identities and addresses during regular work hours.
The information-sharing deal reflects the determination of Trump’s deputies to remove a myriad bureaucratic and regulatory barriers to the enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws.
Prior administrations barred ICE from using the data for enforcing the nation’s laws. Hannah Katch, a former appointee at CMS during the Biden administration, comaplined about the information-sharing:
“It’s unthinkable that CMS would violate the trust of Medicaid enrollees in this way,” Katch said. She said the personally identifiable information of enrollees has not been historically shared outside of the agency unless for law enforcement purposes to investigate waste, fraud or abuse of the program.
…
In an email chain obtained by the AP called “Hold DHS Access — URGENT,” CMS chief legal officer Rujul H. Desai said they should first ask the Department of Justice to appeal to the White House directly for a “pause” on the information sharing. In a response the next day, HHS lawyer Lena Amanti Yueh said that the Justice Department was “comfortable with CMS proceeding with providing DHS access.”
Twenty Democratic-run, pro-migrant state governments are suing the federal government to help hide the names and numbers of illegal migrants who are using the taxpayers’ healthcare system.
“This is about the weaponization of data, full stop,” said Rep. Pramilla Jayapal (D-WA), an immigrant from India.
ElPais.com reported:
federal law requires all states to offer emergency Medicaid, a temporary coverage that pays only for life-saving emergency room services to anyone, including non-U.S. citizens. Immigrants frequently use it, regardless of their legal status in the country.
seven states — all governed by Democrats — allow noncitizens full access to the state Medicaid program in their respective territories. These are California, New York, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, and Minnesota. The states launched these programs during the administration of former president Joe Biden and pledged not to bill the federal government to cover the health care costs of immigrants who used them.
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