The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired on Thursday night, bringing an end to the highly successful late-night show’s eleven-year run.
Stephen Colbert, who turned 62 on 13 May, was joined on stage by his last guest, Paul McCartney. McCartney also performed The Beatles’ classic Hello, Goodbye to conclude the final show.
The cancellation of the show after eleven years on CBS was due to financial reasons, according to Paramount, the parent company of CBS, as reported by The Guardian.
During his final address to the audience, an emotional Colbert expressed gratitude not only to the team that made the show possible but also to the audience that had been with him for the past eleven years.
Stephen Colbert’s Emotional Farewell
Colbert reflected on the show’s legacy, saying, “We have done over 1800 of these shows, and most nights I come out here, and I talk to the audience beforehand. And tonight I thought I’d talk to the audience in here and the audience out there at home. This show, I want you to know, and you to know, has been a joy for us to do for you. In fact, we call this show The Joy Machine…”.
He continued, “We call it The Joy Machine, because to do this many shows, it has to be a machine.” Colbert added, “But the thing is, if you choose to do it with joy, it doesn’t hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears, and I cannot adequately explain to you what the people who work here have done for each other and how much we mean to each other…”.
Colbert also recalled his early days on The Colbert Report, saying, “On night one of The Colbert Report, back in the day, I said, ‘Anyone can read the news to you. I promised to feel the news at you’.”
He expressed his appreciation for the audience’s energy, stating, “And I realised pretty soon this job was different. We were here to feel the news with you, and I don’t know about you, but I sure have felt it, and I just want to let all y’all know, in here and out there, how important you’ve been to what we have done, the energy that you’ve given us.”
Colbert concluded, “We sincerely need that to have done the best possible show we could have for you for the last 11 years. You’ve given to us, we’ve given it all right back to you… We love doing the show for you, but we really, really love doing the show with you.”
Fan Reaction to the Show’s End
Fans took to social media to express their sadness and appreciation for Colbert’s work. @ejazbhalloo shared, “The cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show only proves why his voice mattered. In an era of silence, he kept challenging power fearlessly. Truth to power has always made the powerful uncomfortable.”
Another fan, @donnajacobson915, called Colbert a national treasure, saying, “Icon, National Treasure, Truth-sayer, Gentleman, and Master of Comedy”.
