What's next for Stephen Colbert after “The Late Show?”
What's next for Stephen Colbert after “The Late Show?”
Brianna ZiglerWed, May 20, 2026 at 9:51 PM UTC
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Stephen Colbert on the May 13, 2026, episode of 'The Late Show'
Credit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBSKey Points
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Stephen Colbert will be keeping busy after The Late Show wraps on May 21.
He's cowriting a Lord of the Rings movie with Peter Jackson.
This week, it's all about his family: "I'm glad a lot of the week is not about me…”
The end of Stephen Colbert’s late-night tenure was abrupt, but he still has plenty on his plate.
The hosthas spent the week saying goodbye to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Thursday after an impressive 11-year run. His final week features (or has featured) special guests ranging from Bruce Springsteen and Steven Spielberg to fellow late-night hosts Jon Stewart, John Oliver, and Jimmy Kimmel.”
Fans are understandably crestfallen at the loss of Colbert from late-night television, following the shock cancellation announcement back in July. But that doesn’t mean that the funnyman is stepping away from the spotlight for good.
That said, he wasn’t shy about admitting the silver lining to his cancellation, saying that it may have “saved his life,” as he explained to PEOPLE. “It takes a lot of bone marrow to do the show every day, and now I’ll be stepping down with enough time, enough energy to do other things that I want to do."
But don’t worry — Colbert does plan on sticking around, and he’s had to field plenty of rumors pertaining to possible upcoming projects. “I've heard a lot of theories — everything from I'm moving to CNN to I'm announcing a massive wildlife rescue program to I'm running for president of the United States,” he joked on his April 23 broadcast.
Here’s what you can (actually) look forward to from the next phase of Colbert’s career, including upcoming movie projects, possible TV shows, and more.
He's attending his brother's wedding: “We'll get drunk and we'll sing”
Immediately after the conclusion of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert this week (like, literally the day after), Colbert will be attending a major event. On Friday, May 22, he'll attend his brother’s wedding in Washington, D.C.
Colbert will be joined by his eight brothers and sisters, who will also attend the final Late Show taping. “And then we're all getting on the train the next day and going down to D.C. to go to Tommy's wedding," he told PEOPLE.
Colbert couldn’t be happier to take a little time for himself. “It's great, I love it. The next day focus is not on me, focus is on my brother. So much better. We'll get drunk and we'll sing. We all think we have good voices. That's the great danger of our family, especially the men. It'll be great."
He's cowriting a Lord of the Rings script
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Jake Tapper during the April 16, 2026, episode of 'The Late Show'
Credit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
Colbert’s love of The Lord of the Rings is well-documented, from his childhood obsession with the books and their accompanying lore to his cameo in one of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies. Now, Colbert will be directly involved in developing a film set in The Lord of the Rings universe in collaboration with Jackson.
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Following a March announcement from Jackson and Colbert, Jackson elaborated at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on Colbert’s involvement in the forthcoming The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, which follows the Andy Serkis–directed Gollum film.
“[Colbert] phoned me up a year ago — before he knew [The Late Show] was going to finish — and said, 'I don't know if you're interested, but I've got an idea for a Tolkien movie based on the books that I think would be really good,” Jackson explained.
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Jackson ended up digging Colbert’s idea enough that he paired him with his own longtime collaborator, Philippa Boyens, who cowrote both the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. The two got cooking on a treatment that was a year in the making.
"I think Stephen's actually really happy,” Jackson told Variety. “I think it helped him process [something that] was rather shocking.”
He's considering creating another show: “Got to stay in front of the lens, baby”
Stephen Colbert hosting 'The Late Show'
Credit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS/Getty
While Colbert hasn’t signed on to anything officially yet, he did begin looking at scripts in the aftermath of his cancellation announcement last year. Colbert, who got his start on comedy series like Exit 57, The Dana Carvey Show, and Strangers with Candy, can still see a future for himself in scripted television.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in May, he said he could very easily see himself “creating another show.” At the end of the day, Colbert is always going to want to perform. “Got to stay in front of the lens, baby,” he joked.
He's focusing on his family: "I'm glad a lot of the week is not about me”
Stephen Colbert and Evelyn Mcgee-Colbert at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, 2024
Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock
At the end of the day, it’s family first for Colbert.
In addition to his brother Tommy’s nuptials, Colbert is looking forward to another celebration: his son John’s graduation from college. "I'm glad a lot of the week is not about me, [it's about] people I love more than I love me," he told PEOPLE, "and I'm a big fan of me."
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
