Jimmy Fallon Going Dark for Stephen Colbert's Final 'Late Show' Episode

Jimmy Fallon is joining the growing list of late-night hosts stepping aside for Stephen Colbert's final episode of The Late Show.

The Tonight Show will broadcast a rerun on May 21, the night Colbert's show concludes, clearing the competitive landscape to help maximize viewership for the milestone broadcast. This move reflects solidarity among the late-night community, according to reports.

Fallon was among the late-night hosts who visited Colbert on Monday, May 11. The gathering included Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver—all members of the "Strike Force Five" podcast, which launched during the 2023 Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes with proceeds supporting crew members across their respective shows.

Kimmel used the occasion to express frustration with Paramount+ subscribers, urging them to cancel subscriptions following CBS's announcement of Colbert's cancellation. The network has already revealed plans for what will replace his time slot.

David Letterman has also recently weighed in on the cancellation, offering pointed commentary on the situation.

Following The Late Show's conclusion, Colbert will pivot to a new creative venture: writing a Lord of the Rings movie. "You know what the books mean to me, and what your films mean to me, but the thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in 'The Fellowship [of the Ring]' that y'all never developed into the first movie back in the day," Colbert previously stated about the project.