From celebrity guests to the last episode, here’s what’s ahead as CBS’ long-running “The Late Show” comes to an end.
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Join HuffPost. Thursday marks the end of an era for"The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" as the long-running CBS staple concludes with one final episode after decades as a fixture of the network’s late-night lineup. ,” as the long-running CBS staple concludes with one final episode after decades as a fixture of the network’s late-night lineup.
The farewell has been building since last summer, when“It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS. I’m not being replaced,” Colbert revealed in July.
“This is all just going away. ”Although the decision drew criticism from many, CBS has maintained that Colbert and his talk show “will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television. ” “The accomplishments of ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ are memorable and significant in performance, quality and stature,” the network added in a statement.
“With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers. ” Now that the last week of “The Late Show” is finally upon us, there are many questions about what to expect from its closing stretch — from its final round of special guests to what will replace Colbert’s program once it goes off the air.
Ahead, find out everything you need to know about the final episodes of “The Late Show. ”The final episode of “The Late Show” will air on Thursday, May 21, at 11:35 p.m. ET. So far, “The Late Show” has not announced any guests for its final episode, likely to keep the element of surprise for the grand finale.
Still, CBS has unveiled part of the lineup for the show’s final week, featuring appearances by Jon Stewart and Steven Spielberg, along with performances from Bruce Springsteen, David Byrne and Colbert himself. Over the course of his 11 seasons on “The Late Show,” Colbert has welcomed countless high-profile guests. But in a recent interview“The pope is my white whale,” Colbert said, referring to Pope Leo XIV.
“I wrote him. I said, ‘Come on! ’ No, I said, ‘Your Holiness, I hope this letter finds you well or, at the very least, infallible. Would you please come on my show?
We don’t have to talk about politics. ’”With some of the guest lineup for the final week of “The Late Show” is still under wraps, there’s a chance Colbert could get his wish before signing off. As a tribute to Colbert’s late-night farewell, several fellow hosts are stepping aside for the series finale of “The Late Show.
” Previous reports indicated that bothKimmel made a similar gesture in 2015 when longtime late-night host David Letterman signed off from “The Late Show. ” At the time, KimmelThe announcement that Kimmel and Fallon would air reruns came shortly before an “emergency” episode of the “Strike Force Five” podcast — co-hosted by the two alongside Colbert, Seth Meyers and John Oliver — honoring Colbert’s late-night career. The group teased the special installment during a May 11 appearance on Colbert’s show.
“You guys have been wonderful friends and great models for me, and I’m so glad to know and love all of you,” Colbert told the hosts. “Thank you so much for being here. ” Colbert said he plans to wait until his run on “The Late Show” officially concludes on May 21 before pursuing other script offers.
For now, he appears focused on closing out his late-night career on a high note.on July 17, revealing that the legendary late-night program “will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. ” In a statement, the network added, “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘The Late Show’ franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home.
He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television. ”The surprise cancellation of “The Late Show” franchise sparked widespread backlash when CBS first broke the news.
The network said the ruling to end the top-rated late-night program — which launched with David Letterman in 1993 and continued through Colbert’s 11-season run — was “purely a financial decision,” as it was later reported that the show wasIn a statement, CBS added that it was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount. ”When Colbert shared the news with his audience, it was met with resounding boos, though he remained optimistic about the time he still had left on “The Late Show.
”“I’ve had the pleasure and responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years, and let me tell you, it is a fantastic job,” Colbert told viewers.
“I wish somebody else was getting it, and it’s a job I’m looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another 10 months. ”After Colbert signs off on May 21, the “Late Show” slot will be replaced by Byron Allen’s comedy talk show “Comics Unleashed,” which will air two half-hour episodes Monday through Friday at 11:35 p.m. ET.
The roundtable series, featuring Allen alongside four comedians who “share stories, tell jokes and bring the biggest laughter to television,” currently airs on CBS immediately after “The Late Show. ” Following that, Allen’s comedy game show “Funny You Should Ask” will shift back into the 12:35 a.m. ET slot.
“I know Byron. We got to know each other last year, actually. He’s fascinating,” the late-night host said, also noting Allen’s late-night history with Johnny Carson, host of “The Tonight Show” from 1962 to 1992.
“I said, ‘Hey, congrats. I heard you got the time. Good for you,’” Colbert added.
“‘Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could drop Mr. Carson a note? ’”that he hasn’t had much time to consider them “because takes like 95 percent of my brain. ” Last month on his show, he joked that he isn’t headed toin March, Colbert will help write “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past” alongside screenwriter Philippa Boyens, his son Peter McGee, with Peter Jackson set to direct.
The film is due out in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027. Colbert has also said he’s received other script offers, but plans to wait until his run on “The Late Show” officially concludes before pursuing them. For now, he appears focused on closing out his late-night career on a high note.
“I want to be remembered as a comedy show,” Colbert told THR while reflecting on his tenure. “We harvest laughter for a living, and ultimately that’s the thing I want more than anything else. ”BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti announced that Allen Family Digital, led by Byron Allen, is acquiring a majority stake in BuzzFeed, HuffPost’s parent company.
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