A recent op-ed from Variety has taken aim at Stephen Colbert’s recent episodes, describing them as more of an “ego trip” than a fitting farewell. The publication, known for its liberal stance, humorously critiqued the Late Show host, suggesting that his recent segments appeared overly flattering.
Among the highlights, actor John Lithgow made a guest appearance, delivering a ‘special poem’ dedicated to Colbert. The poem playfully questioned, “So why is he canceled? Why trash all that pleasure? Why yank off the air this beloved national treasure?” A lighthearted nod to the host’s influence and impending departure.
Additionally, a few months prior, legendary performer Bette Midler graced the show with a personalized serenade. Her song, styled after “Wind Beneath My Wings,” cleverly praised Colbert’s integrity with lines like, “You stand for what’s right with wit and class” and humorously jabbed at political figures with “You never kissed the orange ass.”
Midler’s performance not only celebrated Colbert but also evoked memories of her iconic appearance on Johnny Carson’s final episode in 1992, drawing a parallel between two beloved television figures.
A few months before, Bette Midler serenaded the comic with her own work – a song performed in the style of Wind Beneath My Wings. where ‘You stand for what’s right with wit and class’ was rhymed with ‘You never kissed the orange ass’.
The rendition was an ode to Colbert, as well as to the performance Midler gave on the late Johnny Carson’s final episode in 1992.
Both showings not only served to stoke Colbert’s ego but also highlighted the theory that the cancellation was Paramount’s attempt to curry favor with the Trump administration.
Drew Barrymore – another star singled out by D’Addario – offered Colbert a version of the iconic striptease she gave to David Letterman, Colbert’s Late Show predecessor, during her appearance late last year.
A new op-ed from Variety has criticized Stephen Colbert’s recent episodes as an ‘ego trip’ rather than a farewell. The Late Show is set to air its final episode in May. Drew Barrymore offered Colbert a fully clothed striptease to celebrate his accomplishments in September
A-list actor John Lithgow appeared on the show this week to read Colbert a ‘special poem’ that painted the host as a sort of folk hero
The number was delivered to a guffawing Colbert, all while dressed in a shirt emblazoned with the words ‘We [Heart] Stephen,’ D’Addario points out.
A-list actors weren’t the only ones to peddle the unproven claim that Colbert is being cancelled because of Donald Trump, the piece continues.
Fellow late-night host Jimmy Fallon appeared as a guest for the first time last week to offer his own over-the-top rendition of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’.
Like the others, the performance came off as ‘puffy’ and ‘dramatic’, according to D’Addario. Fallon, like the others, painted Trump as the catalyst for Colbert’s cancellation.
‘The endless bouquets being tossed Colbert’s way have started to make the studio smell a bit cloying,’ D’Addario writes in the piece, which was published Thursday.
The columnist goes on to concede that Colbert’s ‘resistance’ effort was real – at least at first.
‘But the show’s focus on its own host’s misfortune has become outsized and a bit dramatic, especially because so many other institutions are in crisis.
‘[W]ith everything else going on in the world, we have to go through a monthslong celebration-of-life for a comedian whose job is coming to an end?’ the piece insists.
D’Addario, in the end, concluded that the show’s relatively recent change in structure must come ‘from the top’ – asserting a producer not being told otherwise would push back on something as excessive as Lithgow’s ‘The Mighty Colbert.’
In October, Bette Midler a song sang in the style of ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’, where ‘You stand for what’s right with wit and class’ was rhymed with ‘You never kissed the orange ass’
Fellow late-night host Jimmy Fallon appeared as a guest for the first time last week to offer his own over-the-top rendition of Frank Sinatra’s My Way that also touted Colbert as a de facto resistance fighter
The author adds that he also ‘doesn’t get the sense Colbert really minds.’
Colbert openly criticized Paramount – CBS’s parent company – days before the network announced the show would be renewed come May, back in July.
Colbert took issue with the company reaching a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump for a lawsuit surrounding an October 2024 60 Minutes interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris that many legal experts said was baseless.
Colbert called the move ‘a big fat bribe’, as a long-in-limbo merger between Paramount and Skydance was solidified just days later.
The host then received news that his show was being cancelled, also within days. The reason given by showrunners was declining ad revenue, with the show said to be losing $40 million-a-year.
The multibillion-dollar merger was approved by the FCC shortly thereafter as well, fueling Colbert’s constant attacks.
The show airs its final episode in May. Both Paramount and CBS maintained that the decision was made for financial reasons.
Colbert, 61, has yet to announce any future plans.
