Desi Lydic, a rotating host on The Daily Show, weighed in on the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and the future of late-night TV right after winning an Emmy Award.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, Lydic snagged a win in the Performer in a Short Form Comedy category at the Creative Arts Emmys. She opened up to reporters afterward about CBS axing Stephen Colbert‘s show and whether it has affected how they run things at The Daily Show on Comedy Central — which, like CBS, is owned by Paramount Skydance Corporation.
“We’re kind of finding things out like everyone else. But we have not been asked to change anything,” Lydic said. “We aren’t holding back, so we don’t intend to.”
When asked if there is a future for late-night television in the next 10 years, she told reporters, “I sure hope so.”
Lydic continued, “I think that there is certainly a need for catharsis right now and for laughter. I know we all need it. I’m hopeful that that continues. I think the way that people are consuming it is evolving and as that happens, we try to evolve with it.”
To conclude her thoughts on the state of late-night TV, the comedian shared, “We’re living in challenging times, that’s for sure. I feel so grateful that The Daily Show has been on for as long as it has — 26, roughly, years, I believe. I sure hope that we get to keep doing it because we love it. And I feel that the work is really important one way or another. And as long as we’re allowed to, we’ll just keep doing what we do.”
Her statements came after CBS announced in July that The Late Show would end after its 2025-26 season after Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media.
“Before we start the show, I want to let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending The Late Show in May,” Colbert said in a video posted on Instagram, to which the live audience booed. “Yeah, I share your feelings.”
Colbert added, “It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away. And I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners.”
Since then, many big names in late-night TV have publicly reacted to the news, including former Late Show bandleader Paul Shaffer, Jimmy Kimmel Live! host Jimmy Kimmel, former The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, and more.
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