The curtain fell on an era of late-night television as “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” bid farewell with a dazzling final episode, packed with appearances from prominent figures across entertainment and science. As Stephen Colbert concluded his 11-year run at The Ed Sullivan Theater, the show featured a lineup of actors, comedians, and musicians, alongside the renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
While Colbert kept the identity of his last guest under wraps until the episode aired on Wednesday, he treated viewers to 15 surprise celebrity cameos. The suspense led to a humorous sequence with Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds each vying for the coveted final guest spot. In a playful twist, many walked off in mock indignation when Colbert humorously refused them an interview.
The episode also cleverly addressed rumors surrounding the appearance of Pope Leo XIV as Colbert’s ultimate guest. In a comedic skit, an impersonator donned in a white robe humorously lobbed a hot dog at the cameras from backstage.
“The pope won’t get out of his dressing room,” Colbert quipped, adding with a grin, “Apparently, we got him the wrong snacks.”
The show also poked fun at speculation that Pope Leo XIV would appear as Colbert’s final guest. On Thursday night’s episode, an impersonator in a white robe launched a hot dog at the cameras from backstage.
“The pope won’t get out of his dressing room,” Colbert joked. “Evidently, we got him the wrong snacks.”
A devout Catholic, Colbert has called Chicago-born Leo XIV his “white whale” dream guest for the show.
All 15 celebrity cameos on the final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”:
Bryan Cranston
Paul Rudd
Tim Meadows
Tig Notaro
Ryan Reynolds
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Jon Stewart
Andy Cohen
Elijah Wood
Strike Force Five:
Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Kimmel
Seth Meyers
Other musical performances:
Elvis Costello
Jon Batiste
Also appearing on the final episode were Colbert’s late-night counterparts from other networks. The group of hosts, made up of Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver, along with Colbert, refer to each other as “Strike Force Five” after a podcast they produced during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
Other celebrity cameos came from Jon Stewart, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Andy Cohen and Elijah Wood, who, along with “Strike Force Five,” appeared in a sketch about a wormhole absorbing “The Ed Sullivan Theater.
Before the final musical performance from Colbert’s final guest, the host joined Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste and bandleader Louis Cato for a performance of Costello’s “Jump Up.” Batiste was Colbert’s bandleader and musical director during the first seven years of “The Late Show” from 2015 to 2022.
Who was Colbert’s final guest?
None other than Sir Paul McCartney. The rock star offered to fill in for Leo XIV and gifted Colbert a framed image of The Beatles’ first performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. Renamed “The Ed Sullivan Theater”, the stage where Colbert taped his show is in the same studio as that performance by The Beatles, which is considered to have ushered in the British Invasion of pop music. McCartney was 21 at the time, and Colbert had not yet been born.
Just wrapping up his “Got Back” tour, the 83-year-old McCartney promoted his new album “The Boys of Dungeon Lane” and shared memories of appearing on Sullivan.
McCartney was also Colbert’s final musical guest, performing the apt Beatles hit “Hello, Goodbye” alongside Costello and Batiste. Cato, who replaced Batiste as bandleader on the show in 2022, joined in the performance alongside his Great Big Joy Machine band.
What will replace “The Late Show”?
CBS will fill “The Late Show” slot with “Comics Unleashed,” in which comedians share stories. Host Byron Allen has vowed to avoid politics.
