NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� chatted with Paul McCartney and joined him on stage for a raucous performance of 鈥淗ello, Goodbye鈥� on the final broadcast of CBS’ 鈥淭he Late Show鈥� on Thursday night, a bittersweet farewell for that still had a few barbs left for the network that ended its 33-year run.
At the top of his last show, which grew more surreal and absurd as it went on, Colbert highlighted the 鈥渏oy鈥� that he and his team felt creating more than 1,800 episodes of 鈥淭he Late Show.鈥�
鈥淭he energy that you鈥檝e given us, we sincerely need that to have done the best possible show we could have for you for the last 11 years,鈥� Colbert said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e given it to us. We鈥檝e given it all right back to you.鈥�
Colbert pretended that Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope, was his final guest, but the pontiff refused to come out of his dressing room because he hadn鈥檛 been supplied the correct kind of snacks, especially hot dogs.
McCartney then offered himself as a replacement, striding across the stage as the audience screamed. 鈥淚 think you鈥檇 be a perfect last guest,鈥� Colbert said.
McCartney said he happened to be in the area, doing errands. He offered a framed photo of the Beatles at the Ed Sullivan Theater, the final home for 鈥淭he Late Show.鈥� The two chatted about when the Beatles first came to America in 1964, creativity, his new album and McCartney鈥檚 childhood.
Final broadcast is filled with surprises
Colbert鈥檚 monologue was interrupted by Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd and Tim Meadows, who all pretended to be irked that they weren’t the host鈥檚 final guest. 鈥淵ou know what? You got what you deserved,鈥� Meadows fumed. Other celebrities in the audience who had funny turns during Colbert’s last 鈥淢eanwhile鈥� segment were Tig Notaro and Ryan Reynolds.
Later, Colbert joined Elvis Costello, and current bandleader Louis Cato for a relaxed performance of Costello鈥檚 鈥淛ump Up.鈥� They all joined the house band and McCartney for the final song of the night, a performance of 鈥淗ello, Goodbye.鈥�
Staffers and audience members 鈥� including Colbert’s wife, 鈥� then swarmed the stage as Colbert gave the honor to McCartney to turn off the building’s power. The theater then gets sucked into a vortex and turns into a snow globe.
Guests in the final week included Michael Keaton, Jon Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Steven Spielberg, David Byrne and Bruce Springsteen, while there’s been a wacky version of 鈥淚t鈥檚 Raining Men鈥� remade into 鈥淚t鈥檚 Raining Fish.鈥�
On Wednesday night, Colbert was on the other end of his 鈥淭he Colbert Questionnaire,鈥� asked things like which sandwich is best and whether apples are better than oranges. Mark Hamill, Martha Stewart, Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro were some of the questioners.
David Letterman, the show鈥檚 host when it debuted in 1993, joined Colbert on the roof of the theater to hurl furniture from the set 鈥� a nod to one of Letterman鈥檚 classic stunts.
Colbert鈥檚 show ends after 11 seasons
CBS announced last summer that Colbert鈥檚 show economic reasons after 11 seasons. But Colbert was the ratings leader in late-night TV. Many 鈥� including Colbert 鈥� expressed skepticism that President Donald Trump鈥檚 repeated criticism of the show wasn’t a factor. Trump’s name on Thursday never came up.
The decision to shutter the show came after parent company of Trump鈥檚 lawsuit over a 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� interview as Paramount awaited his administration’s approval of a pending sale to Skydance Media. Colbert had called it a 鈥渂ig fat bribe.鈥� On Thursday, he showed a clip of a sympathetic dolphin clicking with the subtitle: 鈥淚t was a financial decision.鈥�
During the 鈥淢eanwhile鈥� segment, Colbert mentioned that the owner of some music used in the 鈥淧eanuts鈥� animated specials had grown litigious. Just then, the band started playing 鈥淧eanuts鈥� music. 鈥淥h, no, I hope this doesn鈥檛 cost CBS any money,鈥� the host said.
The final show seemed to be marred by technical snafus, with stray sounds and glitches. Later Colbert encountered the reason in a pretaped bit 鈥� an interdimensional wormhole that astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson helpfully explained was opened because a top rated show could also been canceled.
Jon Stewart also made an appearance, explaining the wormhole was a metaphor, and Colbert reunited with his fellow late night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver and Seth Meyers. Elijah Woods was present for a 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� joke.
Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon ran reruns on Thursday
Colbert鈥檚 chief rivals, ABC鈥檚 鈥淛immy Kimmel Live!鈥� and NBC鈥檚 鈥淭he Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,鈥� both ran reruns on Thursday. to tune into Colbert鈥檚 goodbye and then stop watching CBS.
CBS will fill 鈥淭he Late Show鈥� slot with 鈥淐omics Unleashed,鈥� in which comedians share stories. Host Byron Allen has vowed to avoid politics.
Colbert’s goodbye 鈥� running some 17 minutes over 鈥� was ambitious in a way that other TV late night finales were not. Johnny Carson wrapped up his stint on 鈥淭he Tonight Show鈥� in 1992 without any celebrity guests, just offering classic clips. Jay Leno had Billy Crystal and Garth Brooks aboard his final goodbye in 2014. Celebrities like Steve Martin, Chris Rock and Tina Fey participated in David Letterman鈥檚 last Top 10 list for a 2015 finale that also included Foo Fighters playing 鈥淓verlong.鈥�
Colbert鈥檚 11 seasons bridged the rise of Trump and his return to the White House, the pandemic, the fall of Joe Biden, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States Capitol under attack in 2021 and the rise of Artificial Intelligence.
鈥淎t a time when algorithms are shaping so much of what people see, hear and even believe, Stephen has been a touchstone shared by millions,鈥� former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tribute. 鈥淗is satiric voice, backed by what is clearly a deep moral core and a love of this country, has had a way of cutting through the noise and helping show us who we are as a country.鈥�
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