Stephen Colbert parodies Howard Stern
The producers of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert believed that last week would be significant for Howard Stern.
The King of All Media had promised his listeners that he’d address the swirling rumors about his professional demise in a dramatic trailer announcing his return:
“Now all the questions will be answered. All the truths will be told by the one man truly on the inside. HOWARD STERN WILL SPEAK. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND.”
That promise fizzled last Tuesday, with Stern failing to show up for his SiriusXM show to deliver the goods. Tuesday’s show began with Stern’s new pledge to tell all on Monday, September 8th. Will he actually come clean this time? Listeners have a right to be skeptical.
Stern’s cop-out had to disappoint the writers of Colbert’s show. On The Late Show’s first day back after a summer hiatus, the program opened with what appeared to be a direct parody of Stern’s breathy announcement.
Fired? Retiring? Canceled? Bye-Bye Booey?
Howard Stern will speak.
Tuesday, September 2. Only on @SiriusXM #Howard100. pic.twitter.com/zZkGnvwliW
— Stern Show (@sternshow) August 15, 2025
“This fall on CBS, it’s the final season of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and all questions will be answered. What’s in Stephen’s mug? Who is he pointing at? And who shot Louis Cato?”
The skit poked fun at Stern’s announcement by inventing controversies of its own (even though The Late Show has been making far more buzzy headlines than Stern’s fading radio program).
“Tune in to the final season to learn, will Stephen and Helen Mirren kiss again? Will Stephen and Jeff Daniels kiss again? Will Stephen and Janet Yellen finally just do it?”
The gag was probably funnier in mid-August when Stern’s video was making the rounds. In today’s less-than-24-hour news cycle, that viral conversation had long been forgotten by early September. Colbert’s show itself has been canceled, and there have been rumors that Howard Stern is canceled.
Stephen Colbert and Howard Stern’s uncertain futures
The uncertainty surrounding Stern comes at the same time that Stephen Colbert’s own future has been thrown into question. CBS recently announced that The Late Show will be ending its run in 2026, closing out Colbert’s tenure after nearly a decade behind the desk. While the network praised Colbert’s influence and ratings success, the cancellation underscores how quickly the late-night landscape is shifting. Streaming platforms, YouTube monologues, and political fatigue have all chipped away at the traditional talk-show model that once defined late-night TV.
Stern faces a parallel struggle. With his $500 million SiriusXM contract winding down in 2025 and reports suggesting a major pay cut or outright non-renewal, the so-called “King of All Media” is staring down his most uncertain chapter in decades. For both Colbert and Stern, once untouchable fixtures in their mediums, the coming year could mark the end of an era.
