Stephen Colbert’s final episode of The Late Show aired on CBS, marking the end of a 33-year late-night run on the network. The 62-year-old host chose a low-key farewell, avoiding any direct criticism of the network or former President Donald Trump, who had been a frequent target during his tenure. Instead, Colbert focused on gratitude and joy, ending with a song.
Colbert set expectations early, telling the audience: “At first, when we knew this was gonna be our last night, we were planning on doing a huge special this evening. But the thing is, we like to think every episode of The Late Show is kind of special.” The episode featured brief cameos from Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds, alongside regular segments about sinkholes and dancing robots.
The host’s final guest was Paul McCartney, who performed at the Ed Sullivan Theater for the first time in 1964. McCartney shared stories and promoted his new album, leading to Colbert’s only indirect reference to Trump. Recalling the orange make-up used for the Beatles’ Ed Sullivan appearance, McCartney said: “The girls put make-up on us and it was, like, bright orange.” Colbert replied: “That’s very popular in certain circles these days,” drawing laughter and jeers.
Colbert’s tenure on The Late Show began in September 2015, shortly after Trump announced his presidential campaign. His early monologues mocked Trump, including a joke about his skin colour and a reference to “Oompa-Loompa-merican.” Colbert even had Trump as a guest two weeks into his run, where he apologised for past jokes and thanked him for “delivering material every day.” Trump was elected president a year later.
Despite the political focus of his earlier career on The Colbert Report, Colbert initially avoided political comedy on The Late Show. The finale underscored his choice to end on a positive note, without the fiery send-off some expected.
