
CBS essentially fired Stephen Colbert when the network canceled The Late Show, but the comedian isn't hurting for work. He already has a new late-night gig lined up — with a caveat. According to TheWrap, Colbert will guest star on Elsbeth playing a fictional late-night host named Scotty Bristol who hosts a show called Way Late With Scotty Bristol.
The spinoff of The Good Wife and The Good Fight stars Carrie Preston as crime solver Elsbeth Tascioni. It's unclear how Colbert's character will factor into the plot.
Like The Late Show, Elsbeth airs on CBS, which caused a media firestorm when it announced its decision to end the long-running late-night talk show in 2026.
"We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise," CBS executives said in a statement. "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. 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 [parent company] Paramount."
While the network asserted that it was a business move, rumors continue to spread that Colbert lost his show due to his criticism of Paramount's $16 million settlement with Donald Trump after the president sued CBS over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.
"I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings," Trump said on Truth Social.
The president later claimed he wasn't responsible for CBS' decision to end The Late Show.
"Everybody is saying that I was solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert from CBS, Late Night. That is not true! The reason he was fired was a pure lack of TALENT, and the fact that this deficiency was costing CBS $50 Million Dollars a year in losses — And it was only going to get WORSE," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel, and then, a weak, and very insecure, Jimmy Fallon," Trump continued. "The only real question is, who will go first? Show Biz and Television is a very simple business. If you get Ratings, you can say or do anything. If you don't, you always become a victim. Colbert became a victim to himself, the other two will follow."