Stephen Colbert will reportedly stay in the world of late-night television amid the cancellation of The Late Show.
According to a report from Vulture, published on Friday, August 1, Colbert, 61, has signed on as a guest star in the CBS series Elsbeth — where he will portray a late-night talk show host.
The outlet detailed that Colbert, whose own late-night show was revealed to have been cancelled last month, will appear on the drama series as “the host of … a late-night talk show called Way Late with Scotty Bristol,” with production on the guest spot said to have commenced last week in New York City.
The outlet also pointed out that due to production’s swift operations, the episode was “almost surely planned” before the network announced the cancellation of The Late Show on July 17.
The report follows Colbert’s February interview with Elsbeth star Wendell Pierce, during which Colbert revealed he’d like to appear on the series one day. The request was met with Pierce, 61, telling Colbert that he could potentially “make that happen.”
Colbert addressed his show’s demise during the July 17 episode of The Late Show, telling viewers at the time, “Before we start the show I want to let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season, the network will be ending The Late Show in May [2026].”
The shock announcement was met with loud booing from the studio audience, which led to Colbert explaining the decision further. “I share your feelings. It’s not just the end of our show but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” he said during the episode. “I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners … And I’m grateful to the audience, you, who have joined us every night, in here, out there, and all around the world.”
During The Late Show’s Monday, July 28, episode, Colbert joked about moving into the world of podcasting while interviewing the hosts of “Las Culturaistas,” Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers.
“I’m going to need a gig soon, so sell me on podcasting. Is it fun?” Colbert asked Yang, 34, and Rogers, 35, pointing out that their own podcast was included on TIME’s list of the Top 100 best podcasts of all-time.
Rogers responded, jokingly, “You start one, we’re getting bumped. Like almost certainly.”
