CBS’s Stephen Colbert kicked off the penultimate week of The Late Show on Monday by reassembling his Strike Force Five colleagues and fellow late night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver. The quintet discussed several things, including the future of late night and their battles with President Trump, and the consensus was that fights with Trump prove that late night is still viable, with Kimmel going so far as to include his suspension.

Colbert set things up by declaring, “Late night in a bit of a weird spot, right now, spoiler alert. And people questioning its future. I have been asked this question more, like, three times over the last ten months in various interviews. Like, they go, like, ‘Make a case for late night.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ And they go, like, ‘Make a case for it. Like, why should it continue to exist?’ I’m like, ‘People like it. I enjoy doing it, but—‘ Why would you say that—make a case for late night.”

Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, and John Oliver joined Stephen Colbert to talk about the future of late night and Kimmel said the future is not gloomy, “the matter is more people are watching late-night television now than, and I know everybody gets crazy, then when… pic.twitter.com/zMRJoOuC02
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 12, 2026
 

Kimmel responded by claiming the industry is not facing the doom scenario that most people think it is, “Well, I would say that in my—well—look at the figures, and the fact of the matter is more people are watching late-night television now than, and I know everybody gets crazy, then when Johnny Carson—now, obviously Johnny Carson had a lot of people watching one show. We do a lot of shows with, like, 30,000 people watching each one, right, and it adds up, and people watch us on YouTube now, and people have a lot of different options, and yet they still, they keep coming to us.”

Before CBS decided to dump The Late Show, Kimmel believed that YouTube was not a substitute for declining TV viewership, but now that he views Colbert and himself as free speech martyrs, he thinks otherwise.

As for his own suspension, Kimmel continued, “People canceled Disney+. Why is it—why aren’t you people canceling Paramount+? Because you didn’t have it in the first place?”

Because Paramount is currently try to acquire Warner Bros., which is HBO’s parent company, Oliver added, “Well, Jimmy, until the deal goes through, if I could just do a counter. Paramount+ might have some good programming. Unless it’s not going through, in which case they can go [bleep] itself now and forever.”

Kimmel was also offended at the question itself, “Why should you have to defend late night? Why should that question be asked? You don’t hear—Like, Ryan Seacrest doesn’t get asked that question about the Wheel of Fortune or whatever the hell he’s hosting.”

Because Wheel of Fortune has not turned itself into a partisan therapy session and is still highly profitable.

A few moments later, Colbert turned to Trump, “Did you guys, when you were younger, especially when you are starting out in comedy, did it ever occur to you that you’d be doing a job that the president of the United States would have strong feelings about?”

Again, it was Kimmel who had the most to say, “You know what’s even weirder? Doing a job that his wife has strong feelings about.”

Later, Colbert asks, “Did you guys, when you were younger, especially when you are starting out in comedy, did it ever occur to you that you’d be doing a job that the president of the United States would have strong feelings about?”
Kimmel replies, “You know what’s even weirder?… pic.twitter.com/so0LAkrWpr
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 12, 2026
 

It is worth remembering that Kimmel suggested Melania was looking forward to the day Donald died. While his tone was hard to decipher given the laughter and comradery at the couch, Fallon did say, “Yeah, and then I sent a text to you guys, and I said, ‘Hey, don’t be mad at me, but I liked it.’ I think she’s got a point. I think she’s, she’s got a point.”

Eventually, Meyers combined the Trump question with the one on why late night matters, “The thing I like, he always posts, like, when the show aired and I want to say I appreciate that he is watching linear television… Yeah, well, if I would make my case for late night, leaders of the free world are watching it when it airs.”

Late night matters in the sense that liberals think it matters and therefore turn the hosts into their therapists and thought leaders. If the argument is that late night matters because it is necessary to preserve democracy or free speech, then that would be ridiculous. The country does not need more quips about the first lady looking forward to her husband’s death.

Here is a transcript for the May 11-taped show:

CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

5/12/2026

12:07 AM ET

STEPHEN COLBERT: Late night in a bit of a weird spot, right now, spoiler alert. And people questioning its future. I have been asked this question more, like, three times over the last ten months in various interviews. Like, they go, like, “Make a case for late night.”

I’m like, “What do you mean?” And they go, like, “Make a case for it. Like, why should it continue to exist?” I’m like, “People like it. I enjoy doing it, but—” Why would you say that—make a case for late night.

JIMMY KIMMEL: Well, I would say that in my—well—look at the figures, and the fact of the matter is more people are watching late-night television now than, and I know everybody gets crazy, then when Johnny Carson—now, obviously Johnny Carson had a lot of people watching one show—

COLBERT: 16 million people a show.

KIMMEL: We do a lot of shows with, like, 30,000 people watching each one, right, and it adds up, and people watch us on YouTube now, and people have a lot of different options, and yet they still, they keep coming to us, and I will tell you when I got knocked off the air for a few days. [Sad trombone] People—thank you.

JIMMY FALLON: Press the high hat.

KIMMEL: People canceled Disney+. Why is it—why aren’t you people canceling Paramount+? Because you didn’t have it in the first place?

JOHN OLIVER: Well, Jimmy, until the deal goes through, if I could just do a counter. Paramount+ might have some good programming. Unless it’s not going through, in which case they can go [bleep] itself now and forever.

SETH MEYERS: But let’s, like, tap the breaks.

OLIVER: For sure. Reasonable people can disagree on the utility Paramount+, right, Stephen?

COLBERT:  Hundred percent.

KIMMEL: Why should you have to defend late night? Why should that question be asked? You don’t hear—Like, Ryan Seacrest doesn’t get asked that question about the Wheel of Fortune or whatever the hell he’s hosting.

MEYERS: Yeah.

OLIVER: I would like to hear Ryan Seacrest defend Wheel of Fortune. I would like—say defend Wheel of Fortune’s right to exist, and I am going to be leaning forward, waiting to hear what he says.

…

COLBERT: Did you guys, when you were younger, especially when you are starting out in comedy, did it ever occur to you that you’d be doing a job that the president of the United States would have strong feelings about?

MEYERS: No

OLIVER: No.

MEYERS: No.

KIMMEL: You know what’s even weirder? Doing a job that his wife has strong feelings about.

MEYERS: Well, most of us have avoided that part.

KIMMEL: Yeah, that’s true.

FALLON: Yeah, that’s why you’re on the end of the couch.

OLIVER: It’s amazing. It’s an amazing thing to get in a group text, a text from Jimmy saying “Oh, boy.” And then a picture of Melania mad at him. What a way to start the day

COLBERT: We all get very excited.

FALLON: Yeah, and then I sent a text to you guys, and I said, “Hey, don’t be mad at me, but I liked it.” I think she’s got a point. I think she’s, she’s got a point.

COLBERT: We’re all, kind of, happy when you get in trouble over there, and how do you feel when you wake up and you see the attention?

KIMMEL: The saddest part of it is I realize in those moments that the only four people who care are sitting right here. The rest of the day, it takes 12 hours for the rest of the people in my life — 

MEYERS: Yeah.

KIMMEL:  —  to even figure out that anything is going on. Not—two hours after that, a guy I used to work with sent me a text. He was like “Hey, do you know a real estate lawyer?” I was like, “A real estate lawyer?”

FALLON: I’m in trouble here.

MEYERS: The thing I like, he always posts, like, when the show aired and I want to say I appreciate that he is watching linear television.

KIMMEL: Yeah. He’s the only one left.

COLBERT: Seth, more people are watching late night than ever before.

MEYERS: Yeah, well, if I would make my case for late night, leaders of the free world are watching it when it airs.