How much does Stephen Colbert earn per episode?

Checked on September 24, 2025
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1. Summary of the results

The question of how much Stephen Colbert earns per episode has been addressed by multiple analyses, with only one source providing a specific estimate. According to [1], Stephen Colbert's annual salary is $15 million, and with approximately 168 shows produced each year, this translates to an impressive per-episode earnings of roughly $89,800 [1]. However, most sources do not provide information on Stephen Colbert's earnings per episode, including [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], and [2] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Some sources provide context about the financial performance of The Late Show, such as [5] and [6], which mention that the show was losing $40 million a year for Paramount [5] [6]. Additionally, [4] reports that The Late Show generated $60 million in streaming revenue since 2021, but does not provide information on Stephen Colbert's earnings per episode [4]. The sources that report Stephen Colbert's annual salary as $15 million do not provide information on how this salary is structured or if it includes any bonuses or incentives [1] [2] [7] [8].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement asks for Stephen Colbert's earnings per episode, but most sources do not provide this information, which may indicate that this information is not publicly available or is not relevant to the sources' discussions [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]. The only source that provides an estimate of Stephen Colbert's earnings per episode is [1], which may benefit from providing this information as it generates interest and engagement [1]. On the other hand, sources that report on the financial performance of The Late Show may have a different agenda, such as highlighting the show's losses or revenue, which may benefit Paramount or other stakeholders [5] [6].

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