After 11 years hosting “The Late Show” on CBS, Stephen Colbert said goodbye on May 21, 2026. But he was not done with television. Just 23 hours later, he was back on air at a small nonprofit station in Monroe, Michigan, giving it a lifeline it never expected.
If you enjoy tales about big celebrities making a difference through small, yet impactful gestures, this story is definitely one you won’t want to miss. It highlights the beauty of giving back in heartfelt ways.
A tiny station with a long history
Monroe Community Media is a nonprofit public access station based in Monroe, Michigan. It serves Monroe County through public and government access channels, a community radio station, and media training facilities.
The station airs on Xfinity and Spectrum cable and produces a local show called “Only in Monroe.” It has been doing this community work for years with very limited financial resources.
How Colbert and Monroe first connected
Back in July 2015, Colbert guest-hosted “Only in Monroe” before taking over “The Late Show” from David Letterman on CBS. He interviewed rapper Eminem on that episode for a studio audience of just 12 people.
Colbert later referenced that visit in his CBS finale. He told the audience that his very first show was technically from a public access station in Monroe for just a dozen viewers.
The surprise return
Less than 24 hours after his final CBS broadcast, Colbert returned to Monroe Community Media. He appeared at 11:35 p.m. local time and hosted a full episode of “Only in Monroe” on May 22, 2026.
He opened by joking that it had been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV. He thanked Monroe Community Media for having him before they, too, could get acquired by Paramount.
Star power in a small studio
Colbert did not show up alone. He brought musician Jack White and actor Jeff Daniels along for the episode. White served as a volunteer music director, sitting at the side of the stage with a boombox and a reel-to-reel.
Colbert also interviewed the show’s permanent hosts, Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson. He even FaceTimed Byron Allen, whose show “Comics Unleashed” replaced “The Late Show” in the 11:35 p.m. slot on CBS.
The set got smashed and burned
The original “Only in Monroe” set had not changed since Colbert’s 2015 visit. Creative director Genevieve Benson confirmed the set was literally the same 11 years later.
Colbert, Daniels, and White destroyed the old set with sledgehammers. The broken pieces were then set on fire in a dumpster outside the studio. Benson said it was beautiful because the station could not afford a dumpster on its own.
Equipment and gifts from New York
Beyond the on-air fun, Colbert’s crew brought equipment from New York and gifted it to Monroe Community Media. CBS also separately made a gift to the station’s high school summer media program.
For a small nonprofit running on tight margins, professional-level broadcast equipment is a significant and lasting contribution. These donations gave the station tools it could not have purchased on its own.
The eBay auction and what it raised
The Late Show’s official eBay store auctioned off six Monroe-related items tied to both Colbert’s 2015 and 2026 appearances. Items included autographed scripts, his coffee mug from the 2026 special, and signed pieces of the destroyed set.
Those six auction items alone raised at least $10,341.70. Combined with the donated equipment, the CBS gift, and public donations from around the world, the station received a total of more than $15,000.
A full-time job made possible
Before Colbert’s visit and the resulting fundraising, Monroe Community Media’s operations manager, Jerry Gysin, was not a full-time employee. The money raised allowed the station to bring him on full-time.
Gysin called Colbert’s return a great learning experience and said it felt like one era ending and a new one beginning. For the station’s small team, that shift made a real practical difference.
Why Colbert chose Monroe again
Colbert made clear that Monroe bookended his entire late-night career. His first show was there in July 2015, and returning the day after his last CBS broadcast made the story feel complete.
He told the Monroe audience that since his last visit, he had spent 11 years as the primary host of “The Late Show” on CBS. He said it felt right to come back to where it all began.
What this means for public access TV
Public access television stations across America are underfunded and largely overlooked. Creative director Genevieve Benson said public access centers across the country are suffering from financial loss.
Monroe Community Media’s story shows what is possible when someone with reach uses it thoughtfully. A single visit from a famous face turned into a financial lifeline for a station that needed it most.
Featured Image: Photo by Montclair Film on Wikimedia Commons
