And it all may soon be coming to an end. In 2025 we saw the biggest tumult in the world of late night TV since Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien were at odds back in 2010, a dustup that seems like an amusing kerfuffle these days.

Late-night television has had a wounding year; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled ahead of David Ellison's purchase of Paramount, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off air following a furor around Charlie Kirk's murder and CBS axed its 12:30am slot.

The entertainment industry was stunned when CBS announced in July that the liberal-leaning "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" would end in 2026.

In September, ABC temporarily suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live” after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened regulatory action against ABC and Disney in the wake of a joke Kimmel made about Trump’s response to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Trump then suggested Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon should be the next television hosts to go.

On Wednesday, Stephen Colbert spoke to Kumail Nanjiani, specifically about how he closed his Vulture No. 1 Best Stand-up Special of 2025 Night Thoughts. He tells the audience, “Shit is fucked up, and you’re going to be okay.

President Donald Trump declared that television networks airing "negative" coverage of him should have their broadcast licenses "terminated."

Jimmy Kimmel was grateful that Susie Wiles, the president’s “future former chief of staff,” spilled the beans on her boss in a Vanity Fair article.

A former employee for Letterman's long-running CBS talk show, Malkoff had the "lackluster job" of selling Late Show tickets to anyone who called the network. In spite of this minor position, however, Malkoff, like most Late Show employees, was "forbidden" from attending tapings of Letterman's show.