Stephen Colbert took his final bow as the host of The Late Show to mixed reviews, with Variety delivering a particularly harsh critique. The publication described Colbert’s last episode as a “letdown,” pointing out his struggles with both the show’s skits and his celebrity interviews.
Colbert’s departure from CBS was fueled by a decade-long decline in ratings and persistent budget shortfalls, reportedly reaching forty million dollars annually. This financial strain ultimately led to his dismissal.
The curtain closed Thursday night at the iconic Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, marking Colbert’s final appearance. Despite the occasion’s significance, Variety remained unimpressed with his performance.
TV critic Daniel D’Addario expressed his disappointment, noting that Colbert’s shortcomings were evident even during his farewell broadcast. “Colbert couldn’t, ultimately, escape being Colbert,” D’Addario wrote, critiquing the host’s lack of skill in both interviews and sketches.
D’Addario specifically highlighted an awkward interaction with Paul McCartney, where Colbert interrupted the legendary musician. “In one particularly inartful moment,” he noted, “Colbert attempted to pull rank on McCartney by asking if he’d ever met the Pope.” The exchange, intended as a brag, fell flat when compared to McCartney’s status as a Beatle.
“In one particularly inartful moment, Colbert attempted to pull rank on McCartney by asking if he’d ever met the Pope. (McCartney hadn’t; Colbert had, which is why he asked — to brag about it. But then, McCartney is a Beatle.)” D’Addario added.
He also ripped Colbert for appearing as McCartney’s back-up singer during the famed Beatle’s musical performance. D’Addario rightly could not understand why Colbert felt he had to be onstage mugging it up during McCartney’s songs.
The critic also pointed out that Colbert featured an “underdone bit” about the Pope refusing to appear on the show because the hot dogs at the Ed Sullivan Theater “didn’t meet his rider.”
Speaking of the Pope, Colbert apparently tried to earn some pre-last show hype by placing the rumor among the media that he had actually gotten Pope Leo XIV to be his final guest.
Early in May, Colbert had told the media that getting the Pope on the show was his “white whale” guest coup. And many outlets assumed that meant Colbert had succeeded in getting the Pope to appear.
