Stephen Colbert 在 CBS 的 Ed Sullivan Theater 屋顶，和《The Late Show》创作者 David Letterman 一起把办公家具，甚至西瓜，丢向几层楼下的网路眼睛标志；这一幕象征著节目与其 33 年来所代表的时事脱口秀风格，将在周四迎来最后一集。这不只是纽约夜间电视的一个终点，也标志著一种曾经主导美国晚间谈话节目的形式走向收场。

很多粉丝会把原因指向 Donald Trump：Colbert 几乎每天都嘲讽他的政府失误，而 Trump 也多次要求取消 Colbert。去年夏天 CBS 宣布因财务原因结束节目时，外界之所以格外警觉，是因为当时 David Ellison 正寻求监管批准收购 Paramount Global，而 CBS 刚以 1,600 万美元（$16 million）和解 Trump 对《60 Minutes》的诉讼，Colbert 随后更在节目上称那笔和解是「big fat bribe」。

但真正压垮深夜秀的，仍是网路影片生态。过去 20 年，YouTube 与点播 podcast、使用者生成内容，免费提供了新闻笑料、名人访谈、音乐表演与节目精华，让观众不必等到晚上 11:35。随著串流时代使观众分散，广告也大幅下滑：依 Guideline 数据，美国整体深夜广告收入去年约为 2.091 亿美元（$209.1 million），低于 2017 年的 5.197 亿美元（$519.7 million），约少了近 60%；CBS 之后将以 Byron Allen 的《Comics Unleashed》取代这个时段，而 Colbert 仍可能透过 podcast 世界延续曝光。

Stephen Colbert and David Letterman turned a roof-ledge farewell at the Ed Sullivan Theater into a literal act of destruction, tossing office furniture and watermelons at CBS’s eye logo below. The stunt underscored that Colbert’s final episode on Thursday ends not only a long-running New York institution, but also a 33-year era of topical late-night comedy.

Many fans will blame Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked Colbert and demanded his cancellation, especially after CBS said last summer it was ending The Late Show for financial reasons. The timing looked political because David Ellison was seeking regulatory approval to buy Paramount Global, while CBS had just paid $16 million to settle Trump’s 60 Minutes lawsuit; Colbert then called the settlement a “big fat bribe.”

But the deeper cause is the internet. Over the past 20 years, YouTube, podcasts, and user-generated video have supplied free jokes, interviews, music, and clips on demand, eroding the need to wait until 11:35 p.m. As audiences fragmented, late-night ad revenue fell to about $209.1 million last year from $519.7 million in 2017, a drop of nearly 60%. CBS will replace Colbert with Byron Allen’s politically neutral Comics Unleashed, while Colbert likely remains visible through the podcast ecosystem.