1 week ago
The Late Show‘s 11-year tally connected CBS ended connected a muted statement of melancholy Thursday – extracurricular New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater, astatine immoderate rate.
As Stephen Colbert taped his last late-night section for broadcast later Thursday, a crowd of a fewer twelve fans gathered successful nan chilly outpouring drizzle to salary their respects. Some carried hand-made signs pinch messages for illustration “Thank you, Stephen” and “Keep Colbert, Fire Trump.”
This being New York, nan accustomed looky-loos drawn by nan lights of TV cameras showed up, clad successful Late Show merch and hoping to drawback a fleeting glimpse of Colbert aliases a personnel of nan long-withheld impermanent database for nan finale. The number of fans was astir equaled by nan magnitude of information guards and cops arsenic good arsenic members of nan media, meaning plentifulness of vulnerability for nan female dressed arsenic Pope Leo XIV, a impermanent long-sought by Colbert. Across 53rd Street, stars from a matinee capacity of Broadway show The Great Gatsby drew a likewise sized crowd.
Audience members were shown to their seats early Thursday afternoon. Several hours later, moreover aft nan past celebrities and VIPs had been dropped disconnected astatine nan Ed Sullivan shape door, fans lingered, not wanting to travel to position pinch nan truth that nan show had reached its last day. Apart from a fewer wistful exchanges astir caller episodes, fans huddled nether umbrellas and mostly kept their eyes trained connected nan and nan segment had a decidedly subdued, desultory feel.
Prevailing sentiment connected nan thoroughfare was unanimously against CBS genitor Paramount‘s determination past twelvemonth to cancel The Late Show for what it has insisted were concerns astir its loss-making financials and not Colbert’s decade of deriding Trump. With timing destined to arouse suspicion, soon aft announcing nan show’s cancellation, Paramount gained support for its merger pinch Skydance from President Trump’s FCC. Trump gloated astir nan cancellation connected Truth Social, adding to nan belief of a quid pro quo.
“It’s truthful stupid,” muttered 1 passerby. “That’s precisely nan connection for it!” different responded. “All because nan president can’t return a joke.”
A fewer members of nan crowd tried to support things light, but nan weight of nan infinitesimal (not to mention nan rainfall and nan deficiency of paparazzi-worthy personage appearances) informed nan mood. Colette Divine, an character from Nashville, TN wearing a “Thank you, Stephen” button, didn’t hide nan depths of her feelings for nan late-night host. “I’m going to commencement crying again,” she said erstwhile Deadline asked why she had travel to nan farewell without a spot wrong nan theater. During Covid, “everything was scary and unknown,” nan autochthonal New Yorker recalled, and tuning successful to The Late Show helped supply immoderate balance.
“My mom and I would watch together,” Divine said. “I would FaceTime pinch her and clasp nan telephone up to nan TV.”
While possibly not a top-of-mind taxable nationally, New Yorkers are pondering nan destiny of nan Ed Sullivan Theater. The venue opened successful 1927 and has hosted celebrated performances by nan Beatles and Elvis Presley earlier a makeover by Colbert’s Late Show predecessor, David Letterman. The history of nan landmarked building connected Broadway is vivid capable specified that Letterman sewage Paul McCartney to play a mini-concert connected its marquee successful 2009.
Paramount has steadily been pruning its existent property portfolio, exiting nan erstwhile CBS office (aka Black Rock), trading Television City successful Los Angeles and making plans to time off Viacom’s longtime location successful Times Square. A root acquainted pinch nan business told Deadline nan theatre whitethorn subordinate nan database of properties connected nan block, but a refashioning arsenic a Broadway location is unlikely. A Paramount rep referred Deadline’s query astir nan theatre to CBS, which did not respond.
