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Stephen Colbert takes final bow as 'Late Show' host in star-studded, nonpolitical finale
By Joseph Wulfsohn
Published May 22, 2026
Stephen Colbert officially made his final bow as host of "The Late Show" after 11 years with a star-studded series finale that refrained from getting political.
"This show... has been a joy for us to do for you," Colbert told his audience in the cold open.
"On night one of 'The Colbert Report' back in the day, I said 'Anyone can read the news to you, I promise to feel the news at you.' And I realized pretty soon in this job that our job over here was different. We were here to feel the news with you. And I don't know about you, but I sure have felt it," he said.
A LOOK BACK AT STEPHEN COLBERT'S MOST PARTISAN MOMENTS AS ‘THE LATE SHOW’ HOST
Stephen Colbert hosted his final episode of "The Late Show" on Thursday, May 22, 2026. ( Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Colbert, who is widely credited for leading the politicization of late-night television, avoided politics in his final show, not even uttering President Donald Trump's name.
Filling the political void was a slew of Colbert's famous friends. Among the cameos were Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, Ryan Reynolds, Neil deGrass Tyson, Andy Cohen, Elijah Wood and Jon Stewart, many of whom jokingly demanded to be Colbert's last guest. That honor ended up going to Paul McCartney.
McCartney gifted Colbert a framed and signed photo of The Beatles making their American debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in the same studio 62 years ago.
COLBERT'S FINAL YEAR MARKED BY ATTACKS ON TRUMP, LIBERAL TALKING POINTS AND CELEBS KISSING HIS RING
Paul McCartney appeared as Stephen Colbert's final guest on "The Late Show." (Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver also offered another sendoff following their joint appearance earlier this month.
Kimmel and Fallon previously announced that they were airing reruns Thursday night in solidarity with their canceled colleague.
STEPHEN COLBERT HAD LEFT-WING JOURNALISTS, HOSTS ON ‘THE LATE SHOW’ MORE THAN 200 TIMES
Colbert was joined by fellow late-night hosts John Oliver, Seth Meyers Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon in "The Late Show" finale. (Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
The extended series finale ended with a musical performance from Colbert, Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste and Louis Cato singing "Jump Up." McCartney later joined them to perform the classic Beatles tune "Hello, Goodbye."
Colbert's family and "The Late Show" staff also took to the stage for the extravagant sendoff.
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Colbert was joined by his family and staff in the final moments of "The Late Show." (Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
The cancellation of "The Late Show," which CBS announced last summer, sparked a national debate as Colbert's liberal defenders accused the network of pulling him off the air for political reasons as the announcement came just days after CBS parent company Paramount settled Trump's "60 Minutes" lawsuit. And shortly after the cancellation was announced, Trump's FCC approved Paramount's multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media, which is run by David Ellison, son of billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison.
CBS maintained that the cancellation was purely a financial decision, a claim Colbert openly rejected on his show in defiance of his corporate bosses. However, it was reported at the time that "The Late Show" was losing the network a whopping $40 million per year.
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