The latest installment of CBS’s late-night program hosted by Stephen Colbert concluded on Thursday night with an extended duration of one hour and 17 minutes. The final episode was filled with numerous celebrity appearances, including a special send-off from Paul McCartney.
Colbert, visibly moved, began the show by expressing gratitude to the audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York and those watching from home. He referred to The Late Show as “the joy machine” and acknowledged the essential role viewers played in the show’s success. Bandleader Louis Cato described the bond with the audience as an emotional give-and-take relationship.
Closing the show in his traditional manner, Colbert bid farewell with his signature sign-off: “Have a good show. Thanks for being here, and let’s do it, y’all!” This familiar phrase was followed by the theme song.
The program featured a parade of celebrity cameos, each believing they were the final guest and reacting humorously upon realizing they were not. Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds were among the stars who made memorable appearances.
The highlight of the evening was Paul McCartney’s appearance as the ultimate guest. McCartney presented Colbert with a signed Beatles portrait, jokingly inscribed with “For Stephen — you’re better than the Beatles.” McCartney reminisced about his previous performance at the Ed Sullivan Theater with The Beatles over six decades ago.
During the show, intermittent green blips appeared on set, revealing an interdimensional wormhole. Colbert, along with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, humorously interacted with the portal, leading to a playful shove into it.
The show also included musical performances, including an acoustic rendition of Elvis Costello’s Jump Up. A montage depicted the wormhole engulfing various elements around the theater, culminating in a large musical finale led by McCartney.
As the show concluded, the audience joined in song and embraced the spirit of joy Colbert had invoked earlier. The theater was whimsically transformed into a snow globe, symbolizing the end of a chapter and hinting at new beginnings.
CBS had announced the cancellation of The Late Show last summer, citing financial reasons. The decision was met with skepticism due to the timing following Colbert’s public criticism of Paramount Global’s settlement with Donald Trump. The finale humorously addressed the cancellation, while debates over the reasons for Colbert’s departure continued.
The 11-year run of Colbert’s show came to an end with the final episode, as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show aired repeats in the same time slot. Starting the following day, CBS will introduce Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen in place of The Late Show.