Stephen Colbert’s final episode of The Late Show was a bittersweet, star-packed farewell that aired on CBS. The 80-minute finale featured a lineup of notable guests, including Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Bryan Cranston, and Tig Notaro, who helped see off both the host and the show itself.
A Rare Series Finale
Series finales for late-night shows are uncommon and often peculiar; typically, only the host departs while the franchise continues. However, CBS made the decision to cancel The Late Show, a program originally created in 1993 for David Letterman after he missed the Tonight Show job at NBC. Under Letterman and later Stephen Colbert, the show became an institution and a strong competitor to The Tonight Show.
The Late Show leaves the air as the No. 1 show in network TV late night, with its time slot being taken over by Byron Allen’s syndicated program Comics Unleashed. This move, described as a streaming-era abdication, has been linked to political factors, though CBS insists it was purely financial—a point humorously echoed by a dolphin in the finale. Colbert, having had nearly a year to process the decision, used his platform to deliver a cheerful yet bittersweet final episode.
A Delayed Reveal and Star-Studded Interruptions
The finale made a running gag out of a delayed reveal of the final guest. In the first half-hour, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds interrupted Colbert’s bits, jokingly assuming they might be the unnamed guest. Instead, Colbert welcomed Paul McCartney, highlighting the show’s home at the refurbished Ed Sullivan Theater, where McCartney performed with the Beatles in 1964. The episode was advertised as featuring “Hello, Goodbye,” hinting at McCartney’s appearance.
McCartney, at 83, offered warm memories of his Sullivan Show performance and discussed accepting change, while Colbert remained an attentive interviewer. Their segments were typical talk-show fare, but an eerie green light glitching into view added a mysterious touch, briefly playing as a technical error before leading to a green portal.
A Mysterious Portal and Strike Force Five
The green portal led to prerecorded moments with Jon Stewart and the “Strike Force Five”—Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver. They bantered about the wormhole swallowing the show and mused about the collapsing network model and government interference. Colbert then revealed his desired ending: performing with Elvis Costello on an obscure B-side track called “Jump Up.”
Colbert had referenced this song in a 2012 NPR interview, praising its satirical nature. He noted the line “it’s a two-horse race, and he changes bets like it was another brand of cigarettes” as a critique of political flip-flopping. The performance was a meaningful indulgence for Colbert, who wanted to bring the audience along.
A Fitting Goodbye
The show returned to McCartney for a rendition of “Hello, Goodbye,” with Colbert, Costello, and the audience joining in. A prerecorded bit showed Colbert and McCartney shutting off the lights. Throughout the finale, Colbert maintained his usual monologue and “Meanwhile” segment, providing a sense of normalcy while celebrating the show’s end.
Colbert’s final words emphasized that he was not doing the show for the audience but with them. His goodbye was a poignant reminder of what will be missed: the nightly hello.
