The latest installment of CBS’s late-night talk show, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” bid farewell on Thursday night in a special 77-minute episode filled with celebrity appearances, notably concluding with a surprise cameo by music legend Paul McCartney.
Emotionally charged, Colbert kicked off the show by expressing gratitude to the live audience at New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater and viewers at home, referring to the program as “the joy machine” and acknowledging the support of the staff and audience in shaping the show’s success. Bandleader Louis Cato described the relationship with the audience as “reciprocally emotional.”
As the show wrapped up, Colbert delivered his signature sign-off, saying, “Have a good show. Thanks for being here, and let’s do it, y’all!” The theme song played as the show concluded.
The final episode featured a lineup of celebrity guests participating in a running gag, with stars like Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds making memorable appearances. The show also teased Pope Leo XIV as a guest, with the segment ending humorously after the Pope supposedly refused to come out of his dressing room.
The highlight of the finale was the appearance of Paul McCartney, who presented Colbert with a signed Beatles portrait, jokingly inscribed with the words, “For Stephen — you’re better than the Beatles.” McCartney reminisced about his past performances at the Ed Sullivan Theater with The Beatles over 60 years ago.
The show incorporated a humorous segment involving “interdimensional wormholes,” with Neil deGrasse Tyson joining Colbert in investigating strange green blips on set. The show also featured appearances by late-night hosts Jon Stewart, Andy Cohen, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers in sketches related to the wormhole theme.
Musically, the episode included an acoustic performance by Colbert of Elvis Costello’s “Jump Up,” joined by Costello, Cato, and Jon Batiste. The show ended with a grand musical send-off led by McCartney, with the entire Late Show team and Colbert’s family joining in.
The finale concluded with a whimsical touch as the theater was depicted being swallowed by the wormhole, transforming into a snow globe, and Colbert’s dog Benny playfully interacting with it, symbolizing a transition to a new chapter.
CBS had previously announced the cancellation of “The Late Show” in a decision attributed to financial considerations, amid speculation surrounding the timing following Colbert’s public criticism of the network’s legal settlement with U.S. President Donald Trump. Colbert addressed the controversy humorously in the finale.
Colbert’s 11-year tenure on the show came to an end with this final episode, with CBS scheduling a new program, “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen,” to fill the vacant late-night slot previously occupied by “The Late Show.”
