Stephen Colbert turns down major offer post 'Late Show' exit: Report

Stephen Colbert announced in July 2025 that the 'Late Show' would end after 10 seasons

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Photo: Stephen Colbert looking for a lifeboat amid Late Show exit: Source
Photo: Stephen Colbert 'looking for a lifeboat' amid 'Late Show' exit: Source

Stephen Colbert reportedly turned down a new offer. 

As per the latest findings of RadarOnline.com, the Late Show host wasn’t interested in the latest offer made by Cable news network MSNBC

As per the outlet, the network tried to woo Colbert for a high-profile slot, but he flatly declined.

"Stephen is flattered, but it's a hard no," a source close to the former Comedy Central star confirmed. 

The tipster tattled, "He spent a decade skewering the news – he's not interested in delivering the news."

The rejection is another blow for the network, which has struggled to fill the void left by Rachel Maddow. 

Since Maddow scaled back to a once-a-week Monday night show, MSNBC has been fumbling for a successor. 

Alex Wagner’s brief run failed to match Maddow-level ratings, and Jen Psaki’s The Briefing, launched May 6, has averaged just 971,000 viewers, nearly half of Maddow’s 1.89 million.

The show also lost more than half of Maddow’s audience in the key 25-to-54 demo. 

While Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski remain the only other mainstream draw, even they lost 40 percent of their audience after perceived missteps with former President Trump.

"Execs thought Jen's name recognition and Beltway ties would bring in viewers, but it hasn't worked," a source said. 

Reportedly, the attempt to recruit Colbert was a desperate grab for star power.

"Stephen's looking for a lifeboat," the source added. 

They even remarked in conclusion, "But he's not about to jump onto a sinking ship."