'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' welcomes iconic final guest after 'Deadpool' star's surprise cameo
Stephen Colbert took his final bow as the host of 'The Late Show' in the farewell episode, which aired on May 21 on CBS. The Ed Sullivan Theater lit up with a star-studded lineup of guests who arrived to say goodbye to the beloved host and his long-running talk show. The show planned a memorable send-off to end its 11-year run as it welcomed several celebrities and extended the episode's runtime by 17 minutes. Colbert walked onto the stage for his final appearance amidst loud cheers and applause from the audience. He acknowledged the theater's storied history, saying, "There is so much history here in the Ed Sullivan Theater, and we’ve been honored to have been just a small part of it."
In his opening monologue, the host talked about feeling nothing but "joy" as he and his team put together over 1,800 episodes of 'The Late Show' since taking over from David Letterman in 2015. "We call it the joy machine, because to do this many shows, it has to be a machine. But the thing is, if you choose to do it with joy, it doesn’t hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears. And I cannot adequately explain to you what the people who work here have done for each other and how much we mean to each other."
High-profile celebrities like Paul Rudd, Bryan Cranston, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds made cameo appearances during the episode. Rudd gifted the longtime host six bananas as a retirement gift, while the 'Breaking Bad' star was seen in the audience, hilariously trying to pitch his 'surprise celebrity cameo,' only for Colbert to turn down the suggestion. The 'Deadpool' star tried to pitch himself as the show's final guest, but Colbert turned him down as well. As the episode moved into its extended runtime, the Strike Force Five reunited again, after their earlier appearance on May 13. Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Fallon joined Colbert to talk about the future of late-night shows. "Late night isn’t going to be the same without you," Kimmel said. Jon Stewart also delivered a final message to his longtime pal before astrophysicist Neal deGrasse Tyson appeared backstage to warn of an interdimensional wormhole. "Your cancellation has created a rift. If it grows, all of late-night television could be destroyed," he said before getting swallowed by a green vortex.
Ahead of the episode's premiere, fans kept wondering who the 'Late Show's final guest would be. Speculations were rife that it would be Pope Leo, owing to the host's Catholic faith. Colbert even made a joke about it, saying that the pope was in the dressing room but refused to come out. When Colbert wondered aloud, "Who's going to be my last guest now?" Paul McCartney replied, "Hey, Stephen, what about me?" After taking his seat, the legendary musician mentioned that the Ed Sullivan Theater holds a special place in his heart as he performed there in 1964 with the Beatles. He said, "It’s fantastic to come back here. It’s like you say, I always remember the girls in the balcony." McCartney also presented Colbert with a framed image of his iconic band as a gift.
The finale also featured Colbert's reunion with musician Jon Batiste, who was the show's bandleader from 2015 to 2022. The Grammy winner performed Elvis Costello’s 'Jump Up (Honky Tonk demo)' alongside current bandleader, Louis Cato, and Colbert. McCartney joined in on the fun and performed 'Hello, Goodbye,' while Colbert and Batiste assisted with back-up vocals. The host was then joined by his entire staff onstage as they bid goodbye to the audience.
