Fans wait to see ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ before it ends
Fans are waiting in line to watch one final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
It was a top 10 moment for late night fans.
David Letterman returned to his former home, the Ed Sullivan Theater, on Thursday, May 14th, to appear as one of the final guests on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” before the show ends on May 21st.
“I almost burst into tears over that,” Letterman, 79, told Colbert, 62, of his emotional comeback before quickly taking a jab at CBS. “You know what happened backstage? I’m standing (there) and a guy comes up and says he’s from CBS, and he fires me.”
Later in the show, Letterman and Colbert vented their anger over Colbert’s cancellation in a bizarre segment in which the TV host threw some furniture off the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater. An eyeball shaped like the CBS logo was used as a target.
“I thought tonight’s occasion might be a little sad because my run here is coming to an end, but this brought real joy to my heart,” Letterman said. “We are here for the wanton destruction of CBS properties.”
Colbert added, “When I first got this job, the first thing they told me before I even moved into the office was that I wasn’t allowed to throw things off the roof of the Ed Sullivan building because obviously they had issues with the previous tenant. I didn’t do that, but I’m at the end here, so all is not on the table.”
How long was Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show”?
Colbert premiered his version of “The Late Show” on September 8, 2015. He was canceled in the summer of 2025.
CBS’ parent company, formerly Paramount Global and now Paramount Skydance Corporation, described the call as “a purely financial decision against a difficult background in late night.” But some suspect Colbert’s criticism of President Donald Trump may have played a role.
Who will replace Stephen Colbert?
CBS will fill the “Late Show” timeslot with the syndicated “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen.”
Stephen Colbert’s last performance date
The final episode of “The Late Show” will air May 21 on CBS.
Why did David Letterman leave ‘The Late Show’?
Letterman hosted CBS’s “The Late Show” from 1993 to 2015. He left NBC when Jay Leno was announced as Johnny Carson’s replacement on “The Tonight Show.”
The late-night host ended his tenure on television in May 2015 after revealing his plans to retire the previous year. “I called[then-CBS CEO Les Moonves]right before the show and said, ‘Leslie, that was great, you were great, the network was great, but I’m retiring,'” he said at the time.
In a 2017 interview, he joked that he was “fired,” but admitted, “If anyone[ruined]me, it was me, because I got older and stupider.”
David Letterman calls Colbert cancellation ‘gutless’
At the time of Colbert’s ouster, Letterman called the move “utter cowardice” and “heartless.” The comedian continued to vent in an interview with The New York Times published on May 5th.
Letterman suggested that Colbert “was sold because the people selling the network to Skydance said, ‘Oh, we’ll have no problem with that guy. We’ll take care of the show. We’ll just put it in the contract. When is the ink dry on the check?'”
Letterman added to journalist Jason Zinoman: “Let’s just go on record: ‘They’re lying. Jason, let me just add one more thing: They’re lying weasels.'”
Letterman returned to “The Late Show” for the first time in 2023, sitting behind a desk reminiscing about the old days.
Contributor: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
