Stephen Colbert closed the curtain on âThe Late Showâ with plenty of laughs, heartfelt moments, and a long list of famous faces helping him mark the occasion.
On Thursday, May 21, Colbert hosted the final episode of âThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert,â ending his decade-long run in the Ed Sullivan Theater with his signature humor and several surprise celebrity appearances.
It Was a Star-Studded Farewell
While delivering his opening monologue and joking about the dayâs headlines, things quickly took an unexpected turn when Bryan Cranston interrupted from the audience.
Cranston playfully complained after learning the guest lineup was already packed and he would not make it to the stage.
âWhat the hell am I here for?â the actor joked before dramatically tossing his Late Show hat into the crowd and quipping, âYou can keep your stupid hat, Iâm gonna go sell my ticket.â
The surprises continued when Paul Rudd popped up wondering when his interview would begin.
âJust curious when our interview starts,â Rudd joked. âI have an extremely long poem I want to recite, and I donât want to run out of time.â
When Colbert revealed he would not be the final guest, Rudd leaned into the joke, teasing that he had already brought a âtraditional retirement giftâ â six bananas.
Nearby, Tim Meadows also pretended to be disappointed after learning he would not appear as the final guest.
âScrew you, Colbert!â Meadows jokingly replied.
Later in the show, comedian Tig Notaro appeared in the audience, humorously insisting she had no desire to appear on the program and was simply there to witness a âhistoric event.â
Soon after, Ryan Reynolds made a surprise appearance and also pretended to be disappointed he wasnât Colbertâs final guest.
âWell, you know, in that case, Iâm just happy to be here, you know, pay my respects to one of the worldâs greatest entertainers on his last night at the Ed Sullivan Theater,â Reynolds said.
But when Colbert thanked him, Reynolds quickly clarified: âI was talking about your keyboardist Corey Bernhard.â
Paul McCartney Was the Final Guest
One of the eveningâs biggest moments came when Colbert joked that Pope Leo XIV had canceled his appearance because âthe hot dogs were bad.â
Instead, music legend Paul McCartney arrived to become Colbertâs final guest. McCartney presented him with a framed color photograph of The Beatles appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 â filmed inside the same theater where Colbert hosted for the last decade.
The finale became even more surreal when a comedy âwormholeâ bit brought appearances from Jon Stewart, Neil deGrasse Tyson, John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, Andy Cohen and Elijah Wood.
To close out the night, Elvis Costello and former bandleader Jon Batiste joined Colbert for a performance before the host officially signed off.
After saying goodnight, Colbert reunited with McCartney and fellow musicians to perform The Beatlesâ âHello, Goodbyeâ â a fitting final note for the beloved late-night staple.
It was originally announced back in July 2025 that the show would be coming to an end.
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