Following CBS’ decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, one media expert has warned it doesn’t look good for the future of other late night talk shows.

Colbert confirmed the end of his CBS nightly talk show last Thursday, with the program set to come to an end in May next year.

While many people were left shocked by the news, media expert Ryan McCormick admitted he didn’t find it all that surprising. Speaking exclusively to The Express US about the cancellation, he suggested it likely had something to do with Colbert’s political views.

“Years ago I observed late night talk shows noticeably pivoting from entertaining the masses to pushing their political views on them. It wasn’t wise,” McCormick blasted.

He added, “Catering to only those who share your ideology limits the maximum appeal of your program. Stephen Colbert did not hold back his beliefs and those individuals who just wanted to be amused, turned the channel.”

McCormick praised the likes of Jay Leno, who the expert said was “able to take light-hearted political potshots across a wide spectrum but, never making it a vendetta.”

The media expert also suggested CBS’ decision to cancel Colbert’s show was likely a financial one. He explained, “According to Nielsen, TV viewership dropped by over 40% among adults 18–49 between 2020 and 2024.

“In addition, streaming represented 44.8% of TV viewership in May 2025, its largest share of viewing to date. People’s traditional TV watching habits have dramatically changed.”

And according to McCormick, it’s not just Colbert who could be in trouble.

“It would not surprise me if other late night talk shows start fading away because of this trend,” he admitted.

However, McCormick suggested there is some hope. “Adaptability is key for survival,” he explained. “Creating a high quality product with content that transcends ideological divides should be the defacto strategy for these programs. I recommend they pull away from overly political content and widen their tents so others can be included.”

His views were echoed by media expert Michael Levine, who told us, “It’s not that CBS made the right decision. It’s that they made the only decision.”

He continued, “The show was losing $40 million a year and the ratings were a disaster. What would any saying in sensible business person do the country just wasn’t buying what he was selling.”