The studio laughter Colbert once commanded has faded, replaced by the sterile hum of a recording booth. Gutfeld, known for his biting humor, didn’t hold back—his comment struck like a spark in dry brush, igniting an online firestorm. Fans of Colbert rushed to his defense, while critics echoed Gutfeld’s mockery, calling it “the fall of late-night royalty.” For years, Colbert ruled the stage with sharp wit and confidence, but now the man who made millions laugh faces questions about what drove his show off-air and what comes next.

Is Gutfeld just stirring controversy—or exposing an uncomfortable truth? See the full exchange and behind-the-scenes details before the story gets buried.

Stephen Colbert has decided to dip his toe into voice acting as the cancellation of his late night show nears.

CBS announced it was canceling the Late Show with Stephen Colbert in July with the final episode set to air in May 2026.

Although he won’t be sitting behind his desk anymore, the 61-year-old will be the voice behind the Digital Dean in Paramount+’s Star Trek Starfleet Academy.

During New York Comic Con, which ran from Thursday to Sunday, Colbert was featured in a video announcement about his new gig.

‘Greetings and felicitations, New York Comic-Con,’ the comedian said. ‘Tis I, Stephen Colbert. Folks, I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you in person today, but I’m a perfectionist and I just didn’t have enough bunting for my Mugato cosplay. However, nothing could stop me from sharing this exciting news,’ he said on Sunday.

‘I am honored to announce that my beautiful voice will be joining “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” as the Digital Dean of Students, where I’ll get to announce things like, “Attention Ensign Krebs, you Talaxian Furfly has exited the replicator and is now mating with itself”.’

Colbert, who will not be on screen, said she was ‘thrilled’ about the new opportunity that is set to hit screens on January 15, 2026.

He went on to say that he is looking forward to not having to ‘spend four hours in hair and makeup every day’ for the new role.

Stephen Colbert announced during a video at New York Comic Con on Sunday that he will be the voice actor behind the Digital Dean in Paramount+’s Star Trek Starfleet Academy

The news comes as his late night show draws to a close. CBS announced in July his show’s final episode would air in May 2026

The late night host will join stars Paul Giamatti, Holly Hunter, Tig Notaro, Robert Picardo and more in the series.

Colbert announced his show was ending back in the summer – just days after the host slammed the network’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump as a ‘big fat bribe.’

Trump has accused CBS of falsely editing an interview with former presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Although the network didn’t admit to any journalistic wrongdoing, the massive settlement will cover Trump’s legal fees and his future presidential library.

Paramount also agreed to release unedited transcripts of 60 Minutes interviews with presidential candidates.

Days after the settlement was reached, Colbert said on his program that he was ‘offended’ by the actions of his employer.

He called the lawsuit Trump brought against CBS News a ‘nuisance’ and claimed that the network’s parent company, Paramount, could’ve ‘easily fought it’ – citing the company’s own words calling Trump’s allegations ‘completely without merit.’

‘And keep in mind Paramount produced Transformers: Rise of the Beast. They know “completely without merit”,’ Colbert joked, poking fun at the Paramount film that bombed at the box office.

He then cited a phony statement, joking that the network said, ‘You may take our money, but you will never take our dignity.

‘You may, however, purchase our dignity for the low, low, price of $16 million. We need the cash.’

The comedian went on to argue that the settlement was a ‘big, fat, bribe,’ in light of the company’s $8.4billion merger with Skydance, which got approval from the Trump administration in July.

Months after he announced his show would end, Colbert received a standing ovation at the Emmy Awards after accepting the award for Best Talk Series, which his show won over The Daily Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Despite the cancellation he thanked the network and revealed his hope for the network to continue the show as he said: ‘I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege to be part of the late-night tradition, which I hope continues long after we are no longer doing this show.’

He thanked the crew for the chat show and his entire family before ending on a sweet, positive, and patriotic note.

Stephen said: ‘I have never loved my country more desperately. God bless America. Stay strong, be brave, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor! Woo!’

Months after he announced his show would end, Colbert received a standing ovation at the Emmy Awards after accepting the award for Best Talk Series

Colbert had also received a standing ovation earlier in the night, when he took the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles to announce best actor in a comedy series.

As he appeared on stage, Colbert was met with loud applause from the audience as they rose to their feet chanting his name.

‘Is anyone hiring? Because I’ve got 200 very qualified candidates here tonight who will be available in June,’ he said at the time, referring to all of his cast and crew members.

Colbert then took out a headshot from when he was much younger, saying: ‘I haven’t had a chance to update my headshot in a bit, but I think it still works. I think I’m in there somewhere.

‘I only have one,’ he continued, before asking Harrison Ford if he could get the picture to renowned producer Steven Spielberg.

Colbert quickly ran off the stage and onto the main floor of the theater to shake hands with the Indiana Jones star – who retrieved the resume.