Kenan Thompson Shares His Honest Thoughts on Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Cancellation (Exclusive) originally appeared on Parade.
Kenan Thompson has Stephen Colbert‘s back.
On July 17, CBS announced it was endingThe Late Show With Stephen Colbert in May 2026, and Thompson, 47, was just as surprised as everyone else to hear the news.
“It sucks to see Colbert go down,” Thompson exclusively tells Parade while discussing his latest partnership with Autotrader. “But I think the television landscape is changing dramatically, so I don’t know if it’s a political thing or if it’s just the fact that it’s not making business sense anymore, but it sucks. This dude is one of the greatest comedy minds that we have, and it just happens to be on a show that isn’t fiscally making sense anymore, from what I’m reading.”
He adds, “It’s more alarming that similar programs, which are the programs that I grew up watching and my parents grew up watching, [might be next].”
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Colbert’s show will wrap-up next year, and although the SNL star has only been on once, he has nothing but fond memories.
“It was one of the greatest days of my life,” Thompson recalls of his visit to The Late Show. “He was so kind and so funny, and I didn’t know how cool he was. I always thought he was more nerdy, just because he kind of plays that up a little bit, but he’s actually really down [to earth]. I was pleasantly surprised to learn how chill he was.”
Thompson hopes this is the only shocking late-night shake-up to occur.
“If it happens to the other shows, these are my friends,” Thompson points out. “We’re talking Jimmy Fallon. We’re talking Seth Meyers. These are my brothers in the game, so I just hope there’s a way to turn [their shows] into something that makes sense and keep those guys in our lives in some sort of capacity. Change on 100-year-old shows is never fun.”
Related: Late Night Hosts Make Surprise Appearance on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ Amid Cancelation
As for his latest partnership with Autotrader and their user-friendly app designed to make buying a car easier, Thompson says it’s taken his love of automobiles to the next level.
“If I could have a dealership or a mechanic shop, I probably would do it if I had the patience for it,” Thompson explains, adding that Autotrader has “all the tools” to help you save time when shopping for your next car purchase. “They’re just making it really, really easy on the consumer to get into your dream car, or a car that works for you. It’s nice to be an ambassador for that. I’m a big fan of convenience and a fan of cars, so it seems like a match made in heaven.”
Kenan Thompson Shares His Honest Thoughts on Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Cancellation (Exclusive) first appeared on Parade on Aug 5, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
