Stephen Colbert has joined the cast of a CBS series as a talk show host. The news comes after he announced his exit as the host of the network’s The Late Show. It was also revealed at the time that CBS would retire the Late Show franchise altogether in 2026 with Colbert’s departure.
Stephen Colbert to play a different late-night host in Elsbeth Season 3
Stephen Colbert will make a guest appearance in Season 3 of the procedural comedy-drama series Elsbeth. According to Vulture, Colbert will portray the host of Way Late with Scotty Bristol, a late-night talk show. It’s unclear at the time of this article’s composition in what manner Colbert’s character will be involved in the mystery-of-the-week aspect of the series.
The episode in which Colbert will appear was shot this week. However, with primetime network TV shows like Elsbeth, the intermediate period between the conception of an episode and its production can be months.
So, it’s probably safe to assume that the Elsbeth writers developed the upcoming late-night storyline long before the announcements about Colbert’s departure last month. Further, this appears to indicate that CBS decided to retire The Late Show relatively recently.
In July, Colbert revealed on The Late Show that he is not only leaving as the host, but the network has also decided to end the franchise itself, with the last episode being slated to air in May 2026. CBS put out a statement claiming that it was a “financial decision.” However, the said decision has been the subject of controversy since then.
Vulture reported that while it is unclear when Colbert agreed to play a guest role on the show, sources told the outlet that the casting might have stemmed from an interaction between Colbert and Wendell Pierce, who plays Charles Wallace (C. W.) Wagner on Elsbeth.
During Pierce’s appearance on The Late Show, Colbert expressed interest in appearing on Elsbeth. Pierce responded that he could “make that happen.” Elsbeth serves as a spin-off of The Good Wife (2009–2016) and The Good Fight (2017–2022). It stars Carrie Preston as the eponymous Elsbeth Tascioni. Season 3 debuts on October 12, 2025.
Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on ComingSoon.
