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During a speech at the Television Academy Hall of Fame ceremony on August 16, Conan O’Brien predicted that the current format of late-night television will disappear. However, he believes the comedians who host these shows still have promising futures in the industry.
“Late-night television, as we’ve 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 essential to go away. It’s not going to happen. He’s not going anywhere. Stephen is going to evolve and shine brighter than ever in a new format that he controls completely.”
O’Brien’s comments came about a month after CBS announced the shock cancellation of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” describing it as “a purely financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” The move sparked speculation that other late-night hosts might also be at risk, though no other network has followed suit since then.
After the cancellation, some suggested Colbert could transition to podcasting, similar to O’Brien’s successful pivot. O’Brien left traditional late-night television in 2021 but remains active as host of his podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” and stars in the HBO Max travel show “Conan O’Brien Must Go.” He also hosted the Academy Awards in 2025, with plans to return for another year.
While joking about late-night television being designed to distract college students until internet porn was perfected, O’Brien shared a positive message despite changes in the TV landscape. “We’re having this event now in a time when there’s a lot of fear about the future of television, and rightfully so,” he said. “The life we’ve all known for almost 80 years is undergoing seismic change. But I choose not to mourn what is lost because I think, in the most essential way, what we have is not changing at all.”
He added, “Streaming changes the pipeline, but the connection, the talent, and ideas that come into our homes? I think it’s as potent as ever.”
