Conan O’Brien Says Stephen Colbert Is ‘Too Talented and Too Essential to Go Away’ as He Addresses ‘Fear’ over Future of Late Night

Conan O’Brien is vouching for Stephen Colbert’s influence on late-night television amid the industry’s rapid change.

O’Brien accepted an honor from the Television Academy Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 16, and used his time on stage to raise a serious issue with the audience: the upending of the fabric of late night.

O’Brien remarked on the recent news that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end in 2026, noting that important, outspoken voices like his will remain, even if their platform shifts.

“Late-night television, as we have known it since around 1950, is going to disappear,” O’Brien said. “But those voices are not going anywhere. People like Stephen Colbert are too talented and too essential to go away.”

He added, “Stephen is going to evolve and shine brighter than ever in a new format that he controls completely.”

Colbert shared that his show had been canceled on July 17, citing CBS’ “financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” Since then, the job security of other late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon has come into question (fueled by rumors from President Donald Trump).

With longstanding late night shows and figures being upended, there’s “a lot of fear” surrounding the future of late night, O’Brien said. But he’s grateful there’s still many avenues to connect hosts and viewers even after the shows wrap.

“The life we’ve all known for almost 80 years is undergoing seismic change,” O’Brien said in his speech. “This might just be my nature. I choose not to mourn what is lost, because I think in the most essential way, what we have is not changing at all. Streaming changes the pipeline, but the connection, the talent, the ideas that come into our homes… I think it’s the focus.”

The Late Show‘s cancellation came days after Colbert called out CBS’ parent company, Paramount, for paying President Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit. The slim time frame between the two events made some politicians suspicious of the reasoning behind The Late Show‘s cancellation.

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Coupled with Trump’s vocal disdain for many prominent late-night hosts, the future of late night has grown increasingly hazy. Still, O’Brien said he believes there will always be demand for outspoken voices like his fellow hosts.

“It still won’t matter, if the stories are good, if the performances are honest and inspired, if the people making it are brave and of goodwill,” he said.