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Stephen Colbert and Paul McCartney sang for the final of the “Late Show.”
IN BRIEF • Stephen Colbert hosted the final episode of his Late Show on CBS, surrounded by stars like Paul McCartney, Bryan Cranston, and Paul Rudd.
• Major American talk show hosts also took part in a sketch targeting Donald Trump’s influence in the decision to end the show.
• Paul McCartney was the guest of honor, closing the show with a musical performance.
A grand farewell. CBS aired the very last episode of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show on Thursday, May 21. The host, who has not hidden his bitterness since the program’s cancellation was announced, had promised that this final episode would be memorable. He was not lying. But he had help.
To conclude 11 years of star interviews, political personalities, humorous sequences, monologues, and events, Stephen Colbert went big. And for good reason, he had the freedom to do so, as his colleagues and competitors from other late-night talk shows had all announced well ahead of time that they would not be live on Thursday night to give Colbert center stage.
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Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon on CBS for the final “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
One of the strongest moments of this final episode was a science-fiction sketch featuring all the late-night show hosts, as reported by USA Today. Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver humorously discussed the resounding impact of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show ending on their work, targeting the growing influence of Donald Trump and the MAGA clan in the media that had taken aim at this type of show. They were considered partly responsible for the cancellation of Colbert’s show and also for Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension in September.
Some stars who had visited the show over the years also came to have one last laugh with Stephen Colbert. This was the case for Bryan Cranston and Paul Rudd, both longtime friends of the host. The Malcolm actor tried to be the very last guest, while the AntMan star wrote a poem, thinking he was also the ultimate interview. Elijah Wood also made an appearance, a nod to Colbert’s future project co-writing the next installment of the Lord of the Rings saga. There were also Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds, who Colbert humorously referred to as “absolutely not special.”
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Ryan Reynolds was present for the final of “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
The guest of honor for this final curtain call was none other than former Beatle Paul McCartney. He sat in the famous blue chairs for the last interview. Together, along with Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste, and Louis Cato, they performed “Hello, Goodbye” and symbolically turned off the lights at the Apollo Theater.
In a final moving monologue, the host thanked all the teams that had collaborated on the show for over a decade. Starting from Friday, May 22, Stephen Colbert is replaced on CBS by Byron Allen and his show Comics Unleashed, already announced as completely apolitical by its host.
