For Seth Meyers, the thought of his late-night career eventually coming to an end is a daunting one — and not just because of the uncertainty that follows.
During the July 28 episode of “Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard“, the “Late Night with Seth Meyers” host reflected on his 11-year run behind the desk and what it might feel like when it all comes to a close. Although the recent news of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert being canceled didn’t factor into the conversation — it was taped before Colbert’s July 17 announcement — the topic of longevity in the ever-changing landscape of late-night television loomed large.
Seth Meyers on Show Ending
When asked by Shepard if he’s afraid of the show ending, Meyers, 51, answered with raw honesty.
“I do. I mean, only because it is such a time we’re living in, as far as the entertainment industry,” he admitted.
Meyers explained that his fears have shifted with time — less about personal shortcomings and more about forces outside his control.
“There is this weird thing that I feel like I shifted from fearing that I wouldn’t be good enough,” he said. “And now my fear is weirdly more outside of my control, which is … just at some point, the ecosystem might not support [late night].”
Over more than a decade on Late Night, Meyers has become a fixture of intelligent, political humor and biting monologues — particularly through his popular “A Closer Look” segments, which consistently deliver viral moments. Before helming Late Night, Meyers spent over a decade at Saturday Night Live, where he served as head writer and anchor of the show’s iconic “Weekend Update” segment. That experience laid the groundwork for his transition to hosting, establishing him as a sharp-witted, reliably thoughtful voice in late-night television.
“If there’s a breakthrough over the eleven years of doing the show, [it’s] just show up and do the work,” Meyers said. “That’s the only part they’re paying you to do. It’s the only part you’re good at. All the other problems, we have people that are as good at that as you are at the thing you do — and don’t mess around with it.”
Still, he acknowledges the shifting tides in the industry, noting that late night isn’t exactly thriving.
“Whatever time we’re living in now, I’ve had lower points in the body of the show,” he said, recalling a rough start. “Early on in the show, we had some NBC executives actually say to us, ‘We’re very worried about how the show’s gonna go.’”
Despite the hurdles, Meyers feels a sense of pride and gratitude. “I sometimes take stock of, oh, this isn’t the best time to be doing what I’m doing, but at least I got in,” he said. “And so, I sometimes think, alright, I think the body of my work matters enough that the world knows Seth Meyers in a way that I’m happy with … I’ve taken my opportunity to build a thing. I know what it means, and I think other people know what it means. So I’m happy about that.”
Co-host Monica Padman then asked whether Meyers’ financial security might ease the emotional blow of a sudden cancellation. His answer was telling.
“I would worry about myself, like, mental health-wise,” he said.
But Meyers has spent years preparing himself for that possibility, building a foundation beyond just his hosting duties. “But I put a lot of thought into, like, diversifying my skill set,” he explained. “Certainly, financially, I could have been fine just doing the show for the last eleven years. But then it was like, oh, you know what? I feel like there’s something to, like, trying to build a stand-up career and trying to do other things.”
In recent years, Meyers has quietly expanded his presence in entertainment, producing content under his Sethmaker Shoemeyers banner — including Peacock’s The Amber Ruffin Show and Netflix’s stand-up special Lobby Baby. He’s also continued writing and performing stand-up and collaborating with former SNL colleagues, further securing his place in comedy even outside the late-night world.
Following the news of Colbert’s cancellation, Meyers paid tribute to his fellow host and friend.
“For as great a comedian and host he is, Stephen Colbert is an even better person,” Meyers shared on his Instagram Stories. “I’m going to miss having him on TV every night but I’m excited he can no longer use the excuse that he’s ‘too busy to hang out’ with me.”
CBS later confirmed the cancellation of The Late Show, calling it “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and clarifying that it was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
As late-night continues to evolve — and in some cases, fade — Seth Meyers remains a steady, thoughtful presence. But as he made clear on Armchair Expert, even he isn’t immune to the unpredictability of an industry in flux.
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