How Stephen Colbert signed off in final ‘Late Show’ episode

One past sign-off.

Stephen Colbert went retired pinch a bang hosting his last section of “The Late Show” Thursday nighttime aft CBS canceled nan program past year

The big brought retired aggregate astonishment guests including Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, Ryan Reynolds and more, each of whom thought they were going to beryllium Colbert’s last guest.

During his last monologue, Colbert, 62, said goodbye to nan unrecorded assemblage wrong nan Ed Sullivan Theater successful New York City and fans watching astatine home.

“This show has been joyousness for america to do for you,” Colbert began, adding nan show has been dubbed nan “Joy Machine.”

“I cannot adequately explicate to you what nan group who activity present person done for each other, and really overmuch we mean to each other,” Colbert added.

“We emotion doing nan show for you, but what we really love, is doing nan show pinch you.”

He past played a montage of different precocious nighttime shows poking nosy astatine Colbert and nan show earlier nan show’s iconic intro from nan Ed Sullivan Theater successful New York City.

“We’ve had truthful overmuch nosy successful this theater,” Colbert added, earlier showing a “first draft” of his goodbye card, wherever he asked “How do you commencement an OnlyFans?”

Colbert added they were readying connected doing a large “special,” but he decided to do a regular section instead, though he was interrupted by Bryan Cranston.

Colbert joked that personage cameos consciousness “kind of forced,” but Cranston suggested he could beryllium nan past guest, though Colbert said he already had a beautiful typical impermanent lined up, arsenic he stormed disconnected and threw his hat.

He continued to do a fewer much speech bits earlier he was interrupted again by Paul Rudd, who said he has a poem he wanted to recite, but Colbert collapsed nan news to him that he’s not nan last guest.

Tim Meadows told Paul to judge nan truth he would not beryllium nan last guest, assuming it would beryllium him, since they went backmost to nan Second City days years ago, arsenic Meadows stormed disconnected and took Rudd’s bananas.

After nan monologue, he delivered a last installment of Meanwhile, breaking down much news stories astir location distilling and a suit involving Peanuts music.

His set – Louis Cato and nan Great Big Joy Machine – past proceeded to play immoderate of nan music, arsenic Colbert joked, “I dream this doesn’t costs CBS immoderate money.”

Tig Notaro was spotted successful nan audience, stating she likes to beryllium location during historical events, and she didn’t deliberation she would beryllium nan last guest.

Ryan Reynolds past interrupted, believing he was going to beryllium nan last guest, but Colbert said he would not be, pinch Colbert revealing nan “very typical last guest” would beryllium unveiled aft nan commercial.

The last impermanent expected to person been nary different than Pope Leo XIV, but a miscommunication connected his “rider” lead to him cancelling nan appearance.

Paul McCartney past gamely arrived and volunteered to beryllium nan last guest, saying he was moving immoderate “errands” and he brought him something.

Colbert past pulled retired a framed, autographed photograph of The Beatles during their historical 1964 capacity astatine nan Ed Sullivan Theater.

“It’s awesome to travel backmost here. I ever retrieve nan girls successful nan balcony. Mr. Sullivan was really nice, a really bully guy,” he said.

“People said this was nan biggest show, but to show you nan truth, we had ne'er heard of it,” he said, adding that nan make-up girls made him “bright orange.”

When asked if they were pleased pinch really it went, McCartney said, “We’re live, and we sound good, man.”

He admitted, “We were a small spot nervous, but we were young kids and afloat of ourselves. You know, it was very exciting.”

It was their first ever sojourn to America, adding, “America is wherever each nan euphony we loved came from, truthful that’s what we thought of America, nan onshore of nan free, nan top democracy, that’s what it was, and hopefully still is.”

Before he was going to proceed his question and reply pinch McCartney, a bizarre method glitch occurred pinch a bizarre schematic appearing connected nan integer backdrop down him.

McCarthy discussed his upcoming album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which is group for merchandise connected May 29, inspired by his vicinity increasing up.

“One day, nan boys, a mates of large strapping guys decided to mug me. I was small and scrawny and they were large and disfigured and they wanted my watch. However, I reported them to nan cops and I sewage my watch back,” McCartney said.

Colbert added he has a batch of superstitions earlier a show, pinch McCartney adding that he ever has a “cheese and pickle sandwich” aft a show, “accompanied by a margarita.”

McCartney admitted that fans often misinterpret his songs to him, adding, “‘Strawberry Fields,’ nan opening says, ‘Living is easy pinch nan eyes closed,'” but immoderate group deliberation it’s “Living is easy pinch nince clothes.”

Colbert tried to proceed pinch nan question and reply erstwhile different glitch happened, arsenic they pretended to return different commercialized break arsenic Colbert went to analyse nan glitch.

He went backstage and recovered a immense greenish portal that started sucking objects into it, including his Apple watch, erstwhile Neil deGrasse Tyson arrived, saying it was an inter-dimensional wormhole.

He says that Colbert’s cancellation created a rift that could lead to nan extremity of precocious nighttime forever, though Colbert ended up pushing Tyson into nan wormhole.

Colbert asked if location was a mentor fig around, which lead to Jon Stewart arriving, reference a connection from Paramount.

Stewart wondered if he mightiness person been successful denial astir his cancellation, starring to a Colbert spit-take.

Colbert past said he loved Stewart and he did a spit-take successful his face, erstwhile nan remainder of nan late-night hosts arrived – Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver – who had immoderate words of contented to thief Colbert process nan extremity of his beloved late-night talk show.

Colbert returned and told immoderate much jokes earlier nan greenish wormhole arrived again, sucking up everything and everyone from nan theater, pinch Colbert throwing it to commercialized earlier he disappeared.

Colbert was seen successful a desolate, echo-y space, wherever he started singing “Jump Up” by Elvis Costello, joined by his bandleader Louis Gato, Jon Batiste and Costello himself.

They trim backmost to nan workplace pinch McCartney, Costello, Batiste and Colbert singing The Beatles classical “Hello, Goodbye” pinch his afloat location band.

Colbert’s family took to nan shape pinch his afloat staff, arsenic they clapped on pinch nan song, filling up nan pavilion supra and nan afloat stage.

Colbert past snuck distant to propulsion nan breaker for nan studio, alternatively giving nan honors to McCartney, and erstwhile he did, nan greenish wormhole returned, sucking nan full Ed Sullivan Theater into it, producing a mini snowfall globe pinch nan theatre inside, arsenic nan last section came to a close.

Colbert took complete “The Late Show” successful 2015 from David Letterman, who retired aft much than 20 years. George Clooney was Colbert’s first guest.

Letterman, 79, returned to nan show past week and unloaded connected CBS for axing nan series. He and Colbert besides joined forces for a conception wherever they tossed furnishings disconnected nan tile of nan Manhattan theater.

In summation to Letterman, Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen, Barack Obama and Christopher Nolan stopped by nan “Late Show” for Colbert’s last episodes.

Colbert announced nan extremity of his late-night show aft astir 33 years successful July 2025, telling viewers that he recovered retired astir nan determination nan erstwhile evening.

“I’m not being replaced, this is each conscionable going away,” he told nan audience.

At nan time, CBS claimed they canceled nan bid arsenic a “purely financial decision” and “not related successful immoderate measurement to nan show’s performance, contented aliases different matters happening astatine Paramount.” 

Before nan cancellation news, Colbert criticized CBS’s genitor company, Paramount, regarding its $16 cardinal colony with Donald Trump over a arguable “60 Minutes” question and reply with Kamala Harris ahead of nan Skydance Media-Paramount merger.

During 1 of his July 2025 monologues, Colbert said, “As personification who has ever been a proud worker of this network, I americium offended, and I don’t cognize if thing will ever repair my spot successful this company.”

“But conscionable taking a stab astatine it, I’d opportunity $16 cardinal would help,” he jokingly added.

Before hosting his last show, Colbert admitted to People he thinks nan cancellation “saved [his] life.”

“It takes a batch of bony marrow to do nan show each day, and now I’ll beryllium stepping down pinch capable time, capable power to do different things that I want to do,” he shared.

Colbert besides said he’s looking guardant to being an quiet nester pinch woman Evelyn McGee Colbert, pinch whom he shares big children Madeleine, 31, Peter, 28, and John, 24.

As for his adjacent projects, Colbert has been tapped to constitute an upcoming “Lord of nan Rings” movie with boy Peter — but he told People he’s still plotting his future.

“So I don’t person overmuch amended of an reply than astir assemblage seniors do, which is I’ve sewage to decorativeness this first, because it takes almost nan entirety of my encephalon to do this show,” he said.

“So we’ll onshore this level and we’ll cheque retired nan position from there.”