The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS had become a "nightly therapy session for liberals" due to its frequent booking of left-leaning guests.
The NY Post published a story Sunday was based on a study by Fox News Digital, highlighted that Colbert hosted left-wing journalists, politicians, and media figures over 200 times during his tenure.
Notable frequent guests included Anderson Cooper (20 appearances), Jake Tapper, Rachel Maddow, and others like Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor from Pod Save America. The piece suggested the show’s guest list skewed heavily progressive, aligning with its critical stance on figures like Donald Trump, which contributed to its reputation as a haven for liberal viewers.
It also noted the show’s cancellation by CBS in May 2026, citing financial losses of $40-50 million annually, though some speculated political motivations tied to Paramount’s merger with Skydance and a $16 million settlement with Trump over a 60 Minutes dispute.
Analysis:
- Political Lean: The Post article, noted over 200 appearances by left-leaning journalists, politicians, and media figures (e.g., Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Jon Favreau). Colbert’s monologues frequently target conservative figures, notably Donald Trump, which the article suggests made the show a "safe space" for liberal viewers. This aligns with Colbert’s background in political satire from The Colbert Report.
- Guest Profile: Features a heavy emphasis on political and government figures compared to competitors, with early guests like Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. However, it also includes entertainment and music guests (e.g., Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter).
- Political Lean: Fallon tends to avoid heavy political content, focusing on lighthearted comedy, celebrity interviews, and viral sketches. X posts suggest Fallon remains “middle-ish” politically, less partisan than Colbert or Kimmel.
- Guest Profile: Emphasizes A-list celebrities, musicians, and apolitical figures to appeal to a broad audience. Guests often participate in games or skits (e.g., musical impressions, lip-sync battles), prioritizing entertainment over political discourse.
- Political Lean: Kimmel leans left, often addressing political issues in monologues, particularly healthcare and gun control, alongside Trump critiques. The Post’s narrative suggests Kimmel’s show also caters to liberal audiences, though less explicitly than Colbert’s.
- Guest Profile: Balances political figures with Hollywood stars and musicians. Recent guests include actors like Steve Buscemi and politicians like Governor Josh Shapiro, similar to Colbert but with less frequent political bookings.
- Political Lean: Meyers is overtly progressive, with sharp political commentary in his “A Closer Look” segments. A conservative-leaning group, @center_amrights, criticized Meyers alongside Colbert for featuring 106 liberal guests collectively with other hosts.
- Guest Profile: Mixes political commentators, journalists, and entertainers, but with a stronger focus on comedy and satire than celebrity fluff. Guests often align with Meyers’ liberal perspective, though he includes diverse voices.
- Political Lean: Greg Gutfeld’s show is explicitly conservative, offering a counterpoint to the liberal tilt of network late-night shows. It blends comedy with political commentary, targeting progressive policies and figures. X posts, like @DontWalkRUN and @LimbaughLegacy, highlight its ratings dominance, framing it as a rebuke to Colbert’s approach.
- Guest Profile: Features conservative commentators, comedians, and occasional celebrities, often aligning with its right-leaning audience. The format prioritizes panel discussions over traditional celebrity interviews.
- Liberals dismiss Gutfeld! as niche for Fox News viewers, with some X users mocking its 10 PM slot as not “true” late-night. However, its ratings success suggests it resonates with a significant audience.
- Colbert: Averaged 2.417 million viewers, leading the 11:35 PM slot, with 219,000 in the 18-49 demo. Despite a 1% increase from Q1, viewership dropped from 3.1 million in 2017-18 to 1.9 million in 2024-25, with an older skew (mostly over 65).
- Kimmel: Second in the 11:35 PM slot with 1.772 million viewers, but edged out Colbert in the 18-49 demo (220,000). Viewership fell from 2019-20 levels.
- Fallon: Third with 1.188 million viewers and 157,000 in the 18-49 demo, showing significant declines and struggling to compete with Colbert and Kimmel.
- Meyers: Led the 12:37 AM slot with 751,000 viewers and 181,000 in the 18-49 demo, strong for its later time but not competing with 11:35 PM shows.
- Gutfeld!: Dominated overall with 3.289 million viewers and 238,000 in the 18-49 demo, outpacing all network shows for 21 months. Its 10 PM slot likely aids its numbers. Gutfeld! continues to dominate other late night programs. When Late Show drew 2.4 million viewers less than a week after news of its cancellation, Gutfeld drew 3.1 million viewers. For the year thus far, the show has averaged 3.1 million viewers and nearly 400,000 in the key demo. Since the announcement of Late Show’s cancellation, Gutfeld has posted 11% and 4% gains in overall viewers and the key demo.