The late show It last aired on Thursday, May 21, 2026, with Stephen Colbert surprising the first night’s lineups.
The late show He ended his 11-year run at CBS with Stephen Colbert, who took over the show from his predecessor, comedian great David Letterman, in 2015.
The star-studded guest lineup showed up for Colbert to say goodbye to The late show.
As filming progresses, the late-night comedy host hosts a galaxy of stars, including Paul McCartney, Ryan Reynolds and Paul Rudd.
Colbert’s final monologue was surprisingly interrupted by several guests.
Bryan Cranston was the first surprise appearance, who interrupted Colbert during his final monologue and threw his Late Show hat onto the stage in annoyance.
Then came Rudd, who interrupted Colbert from the audience.
“I’m just curious to start my interview,” said Rudd, who was surprised to discover that it wasn’t Coolbert’s last guest appearance tonight.
The monologue drama did not end here.
Tim Meadows was sitting across from Rudd in the audience and assumed he was also Colbert’s latest guest face.
Ryan Reynolds, in the audience, was also surprised that he couldn’t get the final guest spot. “Ouchie,” Reynolds said surprised.
Tig Notaro also made a cameo in the theater crowd, saying. I just like being at historical events,” commented the comedian.
The monologue that focused on the topic of discovering who the final guest was reached its climax when McCartney made a cameo.
McCartney sat on Colbert’s couch for the last time.
The previous two had a long interview.
“I was in the area, running some errands,” McCartney said as he appeared on stage.
He continued, “I just remember the girls on the balcony,” McCartney recalled the last time he appeared at the Ed Sullivan Theater.
To finish, Colbert appeared in an acoustic segment, playing with Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste and Louis Cato.
After the song, McCartney took the stage to conclude in an impressive way, performing The Beatles’ most successful song. Hello, Bye while Colbert, Batiste, Costello and Cato joined in on vocals.
