Television host Stephen Colbert wrapped up his 11-year tenure on “The Late Show” Thursday evening, featuring an impromptu conversation with Beatles legend Paul McCartney and delivering sharp commentary about his unexpected exit from CBS.
The concluding episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” opened with the host expressing gratitude to both studio guests and home viewers for following his nightly commentary on current affairs, which frequently included sharp criticism of Republican President Donald Trump.
“We were here to feel the news with you, and I don’t know about you, but I sure have felt it,” Colbert told the laughing audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York.
CBS revealed last July its decision to cancel “The Late Show,” pointing to financial considerations. The late-night television format, a cornerstone of American entertainment since the 1950s, has experienced declining audience numbers and reduced advertising revenue over recent years.
The network’s choice to terminate the highest-rated late-night program generated significant backlash from Democrats and other observers who interpreted it as an effort to suppress political comedy in defiance of First Amendment free speech guarantees.
The program’s elimination occurred while Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company at the time, was pursuing government approval for a corporate merger. Following approval of that transaction, CBS now operates under David Ellison-led Paramount Skydance.
Colbert’s program maintained its position as the most-viewed late-night talk show among broadcast networks since the 2017-2018 television season, based on Nielsen ratings. During this season, “The Late Show” drew an average of 2.1 million viewers.
During Thursday’s final broadcast, Colbert stepped away from his hosting position and ventured backstage, where he discovered a luminous green circle. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, a regular show contributor, humorously suggested it represented a wormhole created by “two conflicting realities,” namely “a show that was number one on late night, and it also gets canceled.”
“Your cancellation has created a rift in the comedy-variety-talk continuum,” Tyson explained. “If it grows, all of late-night television could be destroyed.”
Other late-night personalities Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Jon Stewart subsequently joined to provide guidance.
Initially, Colbert indicated he had arranged for Pope Leo to appear as his closing guest. A staff member then jokingly announced that the pontiff had withdrawn due to dissatisfaction with his dressing room refreshments.
McCartney then unexpectedly entered the stage, announcing his availability. “I was just in the area. I was doing some errands,” the musician joked.
McCartney had previously performed in the same venue in 1964, when the Beatles made their American debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Colbert inquired about McCartney’s memories from that historic performance, Sullivan’s personality, and the Beatles’ initial impressions of the United States.
The musician recalled that he and his fellow band members, who were in their early twenties then, perceived America as “the land of the free, the greatest democracy.”
“That’s what it was, and hopefully still is,” McCartney commented.
The program concluded with McCartney performing the Beatles hit “Hello, Goodbye” while Colbert provided backing vocals.
Following the show’s conclusion, Trump posted on Truth Social that Colbert possessed “no talent.”
“You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk,” the president stated. “Thank goodness he’s finally gone!”
Prior to Thursday’s broadcast, supporters gathered outside the theater expressed sadness about losing both Colbert’s hosting and “The Late Show” as a cultural institution. Colbert, 62, assumed hosting duties from David Letterman in 2015.
“This is the end of an era. The late night show is a staple. David Letterman, Johnny Carson, it’s upsetting,” said fan Mike McGillicuddy.
Another supporter, Sarah Thompson, expressed being “very sad that Stephen’s leaving.”
“It’s just going to leave a big hole in America because you need to laugh at the end of the day from all the trauma that we’re facing,” she said.
