Colbert's Former Writers Join The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

<figure><img alt="The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during Thursday’s May 21, 2026 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved." src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/Q2RGZZN2S5GU3B4YV5KX75CLTI.jpg?auth=abb202253250fae57de414662f85fe2c7d62b2d3a101c5af5ffccc9867554cd5&amp;smart=true&amp;width=2400&amp;height=1350" /><figcaption>Scott Kowalchyk / Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS</figcaption></figure><p>Former staffers of Stephen Colbert's <i>Late Show</i> are returning to late-night television. Following the cancellation of Colbert's show by Paramount, writers Ariel Dumas and Asher Perlman have secured positions on <i>The Tonight Show</i> with Jimmy Fallon, as reported by <a href="https://latenighter.com/news/late-show-writers-join-fallon-tonight-show/" rel="">LateNighter</a>.</p><p>Dumas, who served as the head writer for <i>The Late Show</i>, was part of the team hired by Emmy host Mariska Hargitay to write for this year's awards show. Dumas had previously worked with Colbert on <i>The Colbert Report</i> and transitioned to <i>The Late Show</i> when Colbert took over from David Letterman in 2015.</p><img alt="Colbert writers Ariel Dumas and Asher Perlman have both been hired at " src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/DH6YLCCDDNC2HKZKD5O64RHZXM.jpg?auth=7ee4d335a5c036bdebe64d60213192d789500f3934ee2b0052aec481d83e23c1&amp;smart=true&amp;width=6744&amp;height=4496" /><p>Perlman, a contributing cartoonist for <i>The New Yorker</i>, joined <i>The Late Show</i> in 2019 after working on Comedy Central’s <i>The Opposition with Jordan Klepper</i>. He also hosts the <i>Jokes on News</i> podcast with former <i>Late Show</i> colleagues.</p><p>Both Dumas and Perlman made on-camera appearances on <i>The Late Show</i> before its final episode aired on May 21. The cancellation of the show followed a series of interactions with Donald Trump, during which Colbert stated on air that Paramount “bribed” the president with a $16.6 million payout to settle a lawsuit related to Kamala Harris’ <i>60 Minutes</i> interview.</p><p>Paramount required approval from Trump's administration to merge with Skydance and stated that the decision to cancel Colbert's show was purely financial.</p><img alt="Colbert aired his last episode of " src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/U46H2DXJX5FAHLMV4TN5HU3WH4.jpg?auth=f840149f129b388edc6a394ab194f4cb6dd3af2c537419e11cc96a8f51604d94&amp;smart=true&amp;width=2773&amp;height=1560" /><p>Colbert's former staff have expressed dissatisfaction with the way they were treated regarding Emmy nominations, despite the team winning Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Variety Series for <i>The Late Show</i>’s last season.</p><video id="5toc4bRW" poster="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/5toc4bRW/poster.jpg"><source src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/videos/5toc4bRW.mp4" type="video/mp4" /></video><p>According to LateNighter, Dumas has been appointed as <i>The Tonight Show</i>’s sketch writing supervisor, starting her role shortly after the Emmys. She mentioned to <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/story/ariel-dumas-emmys-colbert-fallon-tv-late-night" rel="">Vanity Fair</a> that she is still acclimating to her new environment.</p><img alt="Fallon hosts the least politically inclined late-night show. / NBC" height="1076" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/Q4TIZKAWU5DD5JVMB2XA6QH56M.png?auth=6304b2f8cd6055fc3299e0be49443b037d6276b129630f0f2d3d9feac7f5a278&amp;smart=true&amp;width=1976&amp;height=1076" width="1976" /><p>Both writers will be working in a different environment compared to Colbert's politically charged show, as they join Fallon's team, which has been described as less politically inclined. Fallon previously stated that his show aims to entertain all audiences without focusing heavily on political content.</p><p><i>For more coverage on pop culture and entertainment, follow us on </i><a href="https://obsessed.substack.com/" rel=""><i>Substack</i></a><i> and </i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheObsessedChannel" rel=""><i>YouTube</i></a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/colbert-writers-find-new-home-at-jimmy-fallons-tonight-show/">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p>