A New Chapter for Late Night
Jimmy Fallon has made the decision to air a rerun of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, May 21, in a gesture of respect for Stephen Colbert’s final show. This move comes after fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel also announced that he would be airing a repeat episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the same day, showing solidarity with Colbert as he prepares to leave his long-running program.
Fallon’s choice to not compete with the last-ever episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is a sign of mutual respect among late-night hosts. It also echoes a similar decision made by Kimmel in 2015 when he chose not to air an episode during David Letterman’s final show on The Late Show.
The Tonight Show will resume with a new episode on Friday, May 22, featuring guest appearances from Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, along with musical guest Maluma. This special episode highlights the continued support from fellow comedians and entertainers, who have come together to celebrate Colbert’s legacy.
A History of Respect and Rivalry
Kimmel’s decision to air a repeat episode has precedent, as it was first reported by LateNighter. This gesture of deference reflects the close-knit community within the late-night television industry, where hosts often show respect for each other’s work, even when they are competitors.
The cancellation of The Late Show was announced last July by CBS, which described the decision as a “financial one.” However, many within the network have suggested that the move may have been influenced by other factors, including the ongoing tensions between Colbert and the network’s leadership.
A Farewell Filled with Laughter
On Monday’s final episode of The Late Show, Colbert welcomed Kimmel, Fallon, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers for a heartwarming reunion. The episode was filled with laughter and a special tribute to Colbert’s time hosting the beloved franchise, marking a memorable end to an era.
In the months since the cancellation, Colbert has repeatedly criticized CBS and its parent company, Paramount Skydance. In one episode, he took a pointed shot at his network’s leadership while also mocking Donald Trump over the so-called Board of Peace’s billion-dollar membership fee, quipping that CBS paid “just $16 million” to “obey” the president.
Corporate Tensions and Public Criticism
Paramount decided to cancel Colbert’s show just days before the Trump administration approved the company’s merger with David Ellison’s Skydance. Since then, Colbert has spent time zinging his corporate bosses on his way out the door.
As a long-time critic of Trump, Colbert was highly critical of the Paramount settlement with the president immediately after it was announced in July, calling it “big, fat bribe” and noting that legal experts called Trump’s lawsuit frivolous and without merit.
Days later, CBS revealed that it was canceling the Late Show and Colbert would be leaving the network in May – something that the president had repeatedly called for over the years.
While the network said the decision was purely a financial one due to declining ad revenues for late-night television, CBS staffers claimed it was a continuation of the “Trump shakedown” that began with the settlement.
A New Venture for Colbert
After departing late night, Colbert’s next role will see him write a new Lord of the Rings film. It was Peter Jackson who shared the surprise news in March with a video in which he and Colbert announced the project, currently titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.
This new venture marks a significant shift for Colbert, moving from the world of late-night television into the realm of fantasy filmmaking. Fans of both Colbert and the Lord of the Rings series are eagerly anticipating what this collaboration will bring to the screen.
Independent Readers and the Power of Information
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