Colbert’s Late Night Show Hosts Mostly Liberal Guests

CBS’s Late Show, hosted by Stephen Colbert, has recently been scrutinized for its guest lineup. Research indicates that since 2022, 176 guests have appeared, predominantly liberal, with only a handful being Republican. A study conducted by Media Watch Dog News Busters highlighted this trend.

As it stands, Colbert’s show is set to be canceled by May 2026, and in the first half of 2025 alone, there have been 43 left-leaning guests and, notably, zero conservatives.

Curtis Hook, managing editor at Newsbusters, remarked, “The Colbert show was essentially a group therapy session for liberals.” He noted that viewers seem to be losing interest in such overtly partisan comedy. The 43 guests featured included 14 Democratic politicians and 29 liberal journalists or celebrities, such as Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

Colbert did host Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger this year but didn’t categorize him as a right-leaning guest due to his criticisms of former President Donald Trump and his alliances with Democrats. Kinzinger has controversially claimed that voting for Kamala Harris was more “conservative.” Interestingly, Liz Cheney was counted among the conservative guests on a previous tally.

This trend isn’t unique to Colbert’s show. Since 2022, Newsbusters has identified 511 liberal or Democratic guests across late-night television, but only 14 conservative or Republican guests.

In 2025’s first six months, programs like Comedy Central’s Daily Show and NBC’s Late Night with Seth Myers featured 32 and 16 left-leaning guests, respectively. Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon showcased 10 and 5 left-leaning guests. Notably, all four of these shows failed to introduce a single conservative guest, with the Daily Show having only featured one: policy expert Oren Cass.