Stephen Colbert’s farewell episode of The Late Show reportedly ended his CBS era on top of the ratings charts — but what happened next has stunned the television industry.
Just one night after Colbert attracted more than 6.7 million viewers for his emotional finale, CBS reportedly suffered an enormous 85% audience collapse when Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed debuted in the same 11:35 p.m. slot. Early numbers suggest fewer than 1 million viewers tuned in, instantly dropping CBS from the top of late night to the bottom.
The shocking overnight plunge is already fueling intense reactions online, with many viewers claiming Colbert’s audience loyalty was far stronger than anyone realized. Others are now questioning whether any replacement could realistically survive stepping into one of the most iconic seats in late-night television after such a brutal debut.
Now fans and industry insiders alike are asking the same thing: did CBS just witness one of the biggest post-exit ratings disasters in TV history?
