Bob Odenkirk doesn’t believe Stephen Colbert is leaving anytime soon.
The Better Call Saul actor, who has appeared on The Late Show multiple times since Colbert took over in 2015, gives his reaction to the news about the talk show’s cancellation while doing promotion of Nobody 2 at Entertainment Weekly‘s San Diego Comic-Con video studio.
“I can’t make out the political side of this versus the economic side of it,” Odenkirk says about the Late Show’s cancellation, which CBS described as “purely a financial decision,” though it has sparked questions due to its possible link to Colbert’s criticism of President Trump and the merger of Paramount and Skydance. “I do know that viewing patterns have shifted.”
Here’s the one thing I’m not remotely concerned about: not having Stephen Colbert do excellent work for the rest of his life as long as he wants to. Whether it’s on a different platform, or for CBS under a different banner, or his own company.
Odenkirk believes that Colbert will persist after the show concludes in 2026. . he says
Odenkirk thinks Colbert’s path after The Late Show will be similar to Conan O’Brien’s, who the Better Call Saul actor worked with in the Saturday Night Live writers’ room before later writing for Conan’s own show, Late Night With Conan O’Brien.
It’s not gonna be unlike Conan O’Brien, who you can see every day, all you want. He’s gonna make stuff, ’cause Stephen is a creator, and a genius, and his voice is pure and wonderful.
Odenkirk says
O’Brien, of course, started his own TBS talk show after leaving The Tonight Show and went on to create a successful podcast after stepping away from late-night entirely. He also stars in his Emmy-winning travel series, Conan O’Brien Must Go, on HBO Max.
Maybe that format has kind of run its time? And also, by the way, one less person doing that will maybe help some of the other shows be stronger. But I know Stephen — we’re gonna see lots more of Stephen.
Questioning the future of late-night shows overall, Odenkirk adds
The Late Show’s cancellation faced heavy backlash from the late-night world. Jon Stewart, who helped launch Colbert’s career during his time at The Daily Show, criticized CBS’ move and implied the cancellation was done to please President Trump.
If you believe as corporations or as networks, you can make yourselves so innocuous, that you can serve a gruel so flavorless, that you will never again be on the boy king’s radar: (a) why will anyone watch you? And — you are f—ing wrong.
he said on The Daily Show
David Letterman, the original host of The Late Show from 1993 to 2015, expressed a similar view. “There’s no fairness to these goons,” he said about Skydance’s leaders on The Barbara Gaines Show.
These guys are bottom feeders. That’s exactly what this is. Of course, they know that broadcast television is withering. They just want to make sure that, on top of buying something that doesn’t have the same value as it had 30 years ago, they don’t want to be hassled by the United States government. So they want CBS to take care of all of that mess. Love you Stephen. F— you and all your Sheldons CBS.
Jimmy Kimmel also criticized the network in an Instagram post. he wrote
Source: EW