Key Insights

• Late-night television has faced significant challenges this year.
• Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel discussed their experiences with cancellations.
• George R.R. Martin’s supportive message to Colbert was unexpected.
• The humor around Martin’s unreleased book, The Winds of Winter, resonates with fans.

It’s been a rough year for late-night television, and it turns out even Westeros is weighing in. During a recent episode of <em>The Late Show</em>, host Stephen Colbert welcomed Jimmy Kimmel for a rare cross-network conversation about the current state of late-night. With Colbert’s show controversially canceled by CBS earlier this year and <em>Jimmy Kimmel Live!</em> briefly pulled off the air by ABC after a clash with the FCC, both men compared notes on what it feels like to be suddenly silenced.

When the topic turned to the aftermath of their “cancellations”, Colbert asked Kimmel about the most unusual person to reach out to him. Kimmel mentioned receiving a heartfelt message from James Taylor, but Colbert revealed a much stranger surprise:

“I got some fun ones. I gave my phone to Evie as soon as I was canceled. I handed my phone to Evie and I said, ‘Don’t give this back to me for several days. When I finally went through it: high school girlfriend, James Taylor and George R.R. Martin.”

The Game of Thrones author’s supportive text might have seemed touching at first—but Colbert couldn’t resist turning it into a joke at Martin’s expense. With a grin, he quipped that Martin had sent him The Winds of Winter.

For longtime readers of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, the gag cuts close to the bone. The Winds of Winter, the long-awaited sixth installment in the saga, has been in development for more than a decade. Fans have made memes, countdowns, and countless jokes about its elusive release. Colbert’s jab was an acknowledgment of the cultural in-joke: Martin sending the manuscript in text form would be about as likely as Daenerys getting a do-over in King’s Landing having claimed to wake up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

Why Did George R. R. Martin Approach Stephen Colbert?

Still, it’s telling that Martin reached out at all. He’s not a regular on the late-night circuit, though he has made multiple appearances on The Late Show—once in 2018 and again in 2022. That makes Colbert the only host to welcome Martin more than once, a clear sign of the mutual respect between the two. Colbert is a noted fantasy lover — the man knows The Lord of the Rings better than most scholars — so it’s no surprise the pair get on well.

Despite the playful jab, Colbert seemed genuinely touched by the support. The exchange highlighted just how many people across industries have rallied around him and Kimmel as late-night has become one of the most politically charged arenas on television.