Overview

• Colbert filmed his role as Scotty Bristol for Elsbeth’s third season in early August following a February handshake deal with series star Wendell Pierce.
• The episode was shot before CBS revealed its plan to retire The Late Show and is slated to air when Elsbeth returns on October 12, 2025.
• CBS executives George Cheeks, Amy Reisenbach and David Stapf say rising production costs with falling late-night ad revenue drove the decision to end the franchise.
• Lawmakers and free-speech advocates had speculated that CBS’s $16 million Trump settlement and a pending Paramount-Skydance merger influenced the cancellation, a claim the network denies.
• Rather than naming a successor host, CBS will retire The Late Show format in May 2026, marking the end of the franchise Colbert has led since 2015.