Stephen Colbert’s final Late Show aired May 21, 2026, ending an 11-year run at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. The show premiered on September 8, 2015, and dominated late-night for nine consecutive seasons.
CBS cited financial pressures for the Late Show cancellation. Many critics and fans suspected political motives were also at play. Colbert had defined a full decade of American late-night comedy with his sharp wit.
From Comedy Central to the Ed Sullivan Theater
Colbert replaced David Letterman, who hosted The Late Show for 22 years before retiring in May 2015. Before The Late Show, Colbert spent nine years on The Colbert Report on Comedy Central doing political satire.
On The Colbert Report, he played a fictional conservative pundit. Dropping that character was his greatest challenge. For the first time in nearly a decade, he had to perform as himself before a national audience.
A debut that shattered expectations
Colbert’s September 8, 2015, premiere drew 6.6 million viewers. That was up 206 percent from the same night the year before under Letterman. It was the most-watched Tuesday Late Show episode since July 25, 1995.
His very first guest was Hollywood actor George Clooney. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush also appeared on that debut night. The show beat every late-night competitor, proving something bold had finally arrived on CBS.
Defending John Dickerson on live television
In May 2017, Trump walked out of a CBS Face the Nation interview with John Dickerson, calling it Deface the Nation. Colbert fired back with a fierce late-night monologue in defense of his colleague.
Colbert told viewers that Dickerson was one of the most competent people who would ever walk into the Oval Office. He made clear he was standing up for every member of the CBS broadcast family.
“I Have Jokes. He Has the Launch Codes.”
After his monologue sparked online calls to fire him, Colbert returned to the desk unshaken. He said he might have changed a few words, but refused to back down from defending his colleague, John Dickerson.
He then delivered his most quoted line of the entire run. He said Trump could take care of himself. Colbert had jokes, and Trump had the launch codes. He called that a perfectly fair fight.
Moscow, room 1101, and the Russia week stunt
In July 2017, Colbert traveled to Moscow for Russia Week. He investigated dossier claims involving Trump and the Ritz-Carlton Moscow presidential suite. No major American news organization had previously attempted to investigate those specific allegations.
Colbert rented Room 1101 of the famous Moscow Ritz-Carlton for one entire night of investigation. He used a black light and searched for listening devices. He also noted that the Kremlin was visible directly outside.
The Oreo joke that predicted a decade
On his very first 2015 episode, Colbert mocked Trump’s pledge to stop eating Oreos. Trump made that vow after Nabisco announced it was moving some production to Mexico. Colbert called it a perfect opening story.
Colbert promised himself just one Trump story per night. He immediately went back for more. The bit accidentally previewed the next decade of his career in one perfectly self-aware and hilarious opening monologue desk segment.
John Lewis crowd-surfs the studio audience
In a Season 1 episode, Congressman John Lewis visited The Late Show to discuss gun control. He came following the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, which claimed 49 lives in one night.
The segment ended with Colbert and Lewis walking into the studio audience together. Lewis then crowd-surfed across the theater. It remains one of the most joyful and emotionally powerful moments in all Late Show history.
Emmy glory after a stunning cancellation
The Late Show won the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Series at the 2025 awards ceremony. The crowd responded with a standing ovation. It was the first late-night network show to win that Emmy category.
The show received 33 Emmy nominations since its 2015 premiere before winning. Colbert thanked CBS for the late-night privilege. He also honored the 200 dedicated staff members who showed up every single broadcast day.
Paul McCartney closes the final night
The May 21, 2026 finale featured Paul McCartney as the very last guest. McCartney played the Ed Sullivan Theater, where The Beatles made their American television debut on February 9, 1964, over six decades prior.
Jon Batiste and Elvis Costello also performed in the finale. McCartney closed the show with Hello Goodbye. Colbert, Batiste, and Costello joined him onstage as staff filled the historic Ed Sullivan Theater one final time.
A legacy no cancellation can touch
The Late Show earned a Peabody Award for combining comedy with moral clarity during turbulent years in America. Colbert balanced sharp political satire with genuine human warmth that few other late-night hosts have matched.
CBS retired the entire Late Show franchise on Colbert’s exit, calling him irreplaceable. The full studio set was donated to the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. His greatest jokes will outlast every network decision.
Featured Image: Photo by Montclair Film on Wikimedia Commons
