Stephen Colbert ‘Loves’ That the Late Night Wars Are Over

There was once a time when late night talk show hosts viciously battled over America’s eyeballs every single weeknight. But these days, not only are there no “late night wars” like back in the days of Jay Leno versus David Letterman, all the hosts are now shockingly chummy.

This became very evident back in 2023 when the alleged competitors – including Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers – assembled to bid adieu to James Corden in the final episode of The Late Late Show.

While this amiability arguably made the late night TV landscape way more boring, one person who’s clearly pleased with the current good vibes is Stephen Colbert. 

When CBS abruptly canceled Colbert’s Late Show this past July, Fallon, Meyers, Jon Stewart and John Oliver all showed up the Ed Sullivan Theater for the very next episode in a show of support. 

The hosts also openly criticized CBS and Paramount’s decision, and apparent kowtowing to the Trump administration, on their respective programs. The Daily Show’s Stewart suggested that his longtime friend Colbert got the ax because he “rankled a fragile and vengeful president so insecure, suffering terribly from a case of chronic penis insufficiency.” 

Although Stewart did admit that all modern late night hosts are “basically operating a Blockbuster kiosk inside of a Tower Records” he ended the segment with a profanity-filled song that rivalled even Scarface.

As further evidence of late night peacetime, Colbert had Kimmel, his ABC rival, on The Late Show as a guest last month, where they bonded over their respective networks’ political cowardice. 

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight at GQ's Men of the Year party, Colbert (who seemingly attended the event after mugging Robert Downey Jr. and running away with his sunglasses) expressed his gratitude that late night hosts aren’t dicks to each other anymore. “I love that there’s no late night wars,” Colbert stressed. “I love that we all just pull for each other.”

“Look, it’s a great job, but nobody knows what it’s like to do one of these jobs unless you’ve done one of these jobs,” Colbert continued. “I didn’t even know what it was like to do one of these jobs when I did The Colbert Report, before I did an hour every night on a network show. And it’s a totally different beast.”

Colbert also noted that he “already had a ton of respect for the people who did this before I had this gig, but it’s been so wonderful to call up any of them and talk about what the day has been like.They totally understand.”

“So it’s just been a gift,” he concluded. “It’s been a wonderful gift to become dear friends with all of them.” 

Presumably he’s not including a certain Fox News host in that grouping.