Stephen Colbert ends 11-year Late Show run, finale draws 6.74M
I've never seen a series finale as funny, emotionally impactful and downright spectacular as last night's Late Show! What a pleasure it was to meet the hundreds of staff members and thank them personally (and pose for selfies) for entertaining us for more than a decade. ♥️🙏-mh #GoneButNeverForgotten
I look forward to seeing what Stephen Colbert will do next! He is A+ for Democracy. #FreeSpeech
We wanted to show support for Stephen Colbert & send a tiny but satisfying message to Ellison/Paramount/CBS So, thru Amazon Prime, we signed up for a Free Trial of Paramount+, watched his last two shows, LOVED THEM, and then Canceled our Paramount+ subscription. You, too, can do the same.
Just watched the “Hello Goodbye” finale for the 5th time. In this downright awful time, the celebration of comic genius, brilliant musicians, kindness, friendship, gave me such happiness. We need to remember these moments used to be a normal part of life.
We need this man. #ColbertAintDone
Stephen Colbert has a far greater wealth than any billionaire. Bc he has the love, respect & support of millions of people. People that will make CBS suffer for this. Bc Colbert is more popular than Trump. He made us choose & Trump is the real loser here. Everything he touches dies.
I'm gonna miss this show alot... Colbert always helped me learn the news in a way that i understood and could find a bit of humor in the darkness. I hope he gets another show somewhere else.
NO MORE CBS FOR ME!
You are a true friend . . . bsky.app/profile/vafo...
The touch of a beatle Turining off the lights brought tears to my eyes
The last shot of all the people who worked on the show and affected by the CBS kowtowing was powerful. 💙💪
You’re a good man Mark Hamil!
It WAS downright spectacular!!! I may have had a few memories rolling down my face. 🥹🥹🥹
Was really great ! I enjoyed it and am sad at the same time 😞
I agree but in the end. It was heartbreaking. We the people cant allow this to happen again or we're screwed. I will never watch anything on that channel again.
Stephen Colbert produced a beautiful show! CBS has chosen to cancel CBS! Stephen is loved by millions of viewers! CBS is hated for being a weak network and bending the knee to the felon is a death knell to this station.
Yes, Colbert and his team did a superb job of creating a memorable final week. (And you were part of that!)
I kept my paramount subscription SOLELY to watch his show its last months. The finale did not disappoint and left me in tears. And as soon as it ended:
He is the epitome of class
I kind of can't be sad because it feels like he's getting evicted from a shithole and the only place to go is UP! CONGRATULATIONS STEPHEN COLBERT ON YOUR NEW FOUND FREEDOM
CBS couldn’t bring Paul McCartney to the Ed Sullivan Theatre without Stephen Colbert. CBS won’t have that kind of viewership again for a long time, if ever. I wonder how many sponsors this will cost them? bsky.app/profile/drha...
How sad America.The nation that has freedom of speech enshrined in its constitution is now having it destroyed by corporate entities who don't want to upset a thin-skinned, insecure, fascist POTUS who cannot bear any criticism & can't take a joke.Colbert is a casualty of his ego. It's truly tragic.
Stephen Colbert will be back. All the threatened comedians should buy their own station. Bet a go fund me would gain millions #FuckTrump #IrrumaboTuba
Whatever Colbert does for his next chapter, it must be called - “Stephen Colbert: Unchained!
Was delighted you were a part of the show, Mark.
I recorded it, yet I hesitate to watch, because when it’s over, it’s over. 🥹
Watching the finale was sad, uncomfortable and except for the pre-recorded bits, stephen looked embarrassed to be there. Tough night and tough to watch, to be perfectly honest. Change is coming at us fast and furious. Seeing the Late Show lights go off was super sad.
A big F U to the thin skinned oligarchs who have ZERO respect for the First Amendment and our Constitution.
Check your media feeds. Both of these memes I put together are because people are speaking out and this is real. However, I would not wish this on such a wonderful person, like Stephen. Pedo...oh yeah! One day we are soooOOOooo gonna party!
That's the other thing that bothers me, it's not just Colbert, it's all the people behind the scene! So when the felon "cheers" for the cancellation of the Late Show, he's also "cheering" for the unemployment of all of them
More than anything, I'm excited to see what he gets up to with his rumored Tolkien project... That's more exciting than anything he's done late night (and I've been watching him since before the Report even)
Was gr8 to see you! Such an ace finale for Colbert & for the history of CBS, a once gr8 network for entertainment & broadcast news. “And that’s the way it is,” Conkrite would say. So ends CBS, for it truly exists no longer. I’ll never forget the last show I watched on it.TY for being part of it! :)
Gonna miss the laughs his show brought when the world seemed darkest.
That finale made me cry. All Americans need to wake the hell up or everything that made us the greatest country in the world will be destroyed.
I will miss Steven so much he has made my night for 11 years. I blame that piece of shit Trump for all of this. He's not only is taking our tax money to do whatever he wants to do with it and now he takes away our laughter at night because he doesn't want anyone joking about him.
Run for office we say!
Loved seeing you there Mark!
The penultimate and the final show were insanely good!! Loved you Mark Hamill, and all the guests administering the Colbert Questionnaire. I love how he went out showing the amazing genius and gift he is. suck it cbs and paramount. My son is canceling our paramount+ today (at my request.)
Agreed! Will look forward to his next gig. Last night was the last time I will watch CBS.
I've been thinking about how so many tributes mention what a good man Stephen Colbert is - and how never will we ever hear those words said about DJT. What a touching, sweet, funny way for Colbert to close this chapter. It was perfection.
Agreed! I loved it! If a series as amazing as Colbert's must end, it should end with this much intelligence, humor, imagination, and class. They completed the circle from the Beatles first performance in the 1964 to McCartney and Stephen harmonizing to a Beatles song 62 years later. Beautiful.
We don't get the Late Show in UK but my US friends are grieving Mr Hamill....I think someone's playing Where's Luke with the Star Wars Albums!!
My claymation version of Stephen Colbert receiving an award for the #1 spot that he earned.
It was the perfect goodbye. I enjoyed the question/answer portion and of course Sir Paul McCartney singing. I'll miss this show.
I had no idea how amazing his voice was!
Stephen Colbert can sing, dance, act AND has a sense of humor. OLDdonOLD has none of these skills.
I hope Colbert makes a comeback on a streaming service, like YouTube. I have this feeling that he’s not done with entertainment; rather, he’s done entertaining the Trump machine that CBS has become. Maybe rename it TTN (Trump Television Network)? Fox needs a new friend to spill more misinformation.
Watched up in 🇨🇦! Sad and angry to see him gone! That finale was beautiful!
So much class across one stage in so short a time.
Hello- Goodbye 👏 What an ending! I hope the RATINGS make the Rat bag lose his mind🤣
NPR should offer him a show. It'd piss off trump.
Ironically, it will go down in history as one of the greatest and most memorable moments in broadcast history.
The Late Show was just his warmup.
Call and complain, then BOYCOTT CBS.
Same here! (My '25 tribute sketch)
I love that man. (Love you too, Mark!)
Colbert’s career will probably outlast CBS.
Whatever he decides to do I’m sure it will be significantly more impactful and garner much more attention and support than anything orange Pedolf will ever do‼️ Steven is an absolute genius with comedy and a wonderful human ‼️
I can't wait to see what Colbert's next project will be. Hoping he continues his wit and humor on another platform. MeidasTouch has offered him a position which I would definitely watch. Colbert demonstrated great poise and class. The orange 💩 can never be a class act like Colbert.
Irony would be Colbert getting an uninhibited Netflix show, and their subscription numbers skyrocket because of it, while Skydance/Paramount+ plummets.
I loved the show so much. I recorded it but can't rewatch it yet, afraid I'll cry again. I recorded his show every nite to watch the next day in case I fell asleep. It was like being w/an old friend for the last decade. I know he'll end up doing something, but President Colbert sounds great.
There's a vacancy for James Bond...
Last show was classic, and perfect. Bought paramount plus to watch, saw all the last week, and canceled this morning❣Buh bye CBS❣🇺🇸💙
It was a bit much, no? The ego is not Colbert’s amigo. Enough with the “saving western civilization and fighting off the forces of darkness” mutual admiration society. Gag.
It was a great finale and to see so many celebrities there supporting Colbert just gave it the icing on the cake. Now to keep my fingers crossed that CBS / Paramount lose a huge amount of followers moving forward.
It was amazing. The quartet... just them sitting there in low light singing. That one took me out.
Sweet sorrow, eh! Controlling the media leads to dictatorship!
It was awesome to see you there! Thanks for fighting the good fight! ❤️❤️❤️
Just removed CBS from all our TV services.
I teared up a bit at the end.
CBS is a mess. The channel is no longer allowed on my TV. "When someone shows you who they are believe them the first time"(Maya Angelou) 😢 I already miss you, Stephen Colbert.
I loved the Tig Notaro cameo. I too have watched many historical events including the moon landing & last night's show.
Colbert is a genius AND hilarious commentator/comedian too! Only two programs worth watching now on CBS-Sunday Morning and 60 Minutes, but they will likely show Bari Weiss censorship too and then lights out for CBS in my house!
Great seeing you there Mark. Keep fighting the good fight.
It was a fantastic finale! I watched it on YouTube. Fuck CBS.
It was such a classy exit.
@colbertlateshow.bsky.social and the crew have been front and center in the push back against #TWPE . They've shown remarkable courage and consistently brought hope and humour to us all. An unforgettable finale. They are #Inspiring #Heroes #History ❤️
So happy to see he speaks out against Zionist swine 👏👏
That's a wrap, indeed! 🙏 What a legacy to leave behind. Who's ready for the next chapter? -el
Trump boastfully posted in of the demise of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and yet oddly failed to mention the shows’s many crew members who are now unemployed — proving without a doubt that when when it comes to American workers finances Trump really doesn’t think about them at all.
Hope to see him somewhere in www. Maybe here ?
Yeah, Mark, I am anxious to see what Colbert next!!!!
It was epic Mark and I will miss him everyday
You know what, as long as Evie is okay with it, Colbert SHOULD do OnlyFans. It's a very Colbert move.
We want a Stephen Colbert timeline. We live in an Ellison Brothers timeline. www.huffpost.com/entry/elliso... www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYpw...
Remember Zelinsky? The former comedian? The guy who ran an anti corruption campaign? Yeah. That guy is really inspiring...
SO happy to see you part of it.
I know it was heartwarming and heartbreaking at same time.
It was definitely a roller-coaster of emotions. I was crying as I was clapping and singing at the end. I miss it already
I was crying when he flipped the switch 😭
Gonna miss that great big Joy Machine and can’t wait to support whatever he does next.
Colbert guest hosted a public access TV show in Monroe, Michigan a day after the Late Show ended. Guest star: Jeff Daniels Special appearance by: Eminem Musical director: Jack White Genius. youtu.be/jJTXB5uT_C4?...
it was so goddam funny, i hope he travels the country, popping into all the states community channels.
So, "Only in Monroe" will wind up with more viewers than the CBS Evening News with Tony Dukoli? 🤔
Colbert is going to do juuuuuuust fine. God, I love him.
not his first time hosting Only in Monroe
Remember when Conan lost his NBC show and ceased to exist? www.businessinsider.com/conan-obrien...
Haha something delightfully retro about late night public access tv.
This is where I subscribed to Colbert's personal Youtube Channel.
the ONE time I miss "Only in Monroe"
This was my first year in Aspen when I worked at the Wheeler. In a few weeks it will be the end of my 20th year in this lovely valley. The highlight is still...THIS night!!
People forget he rolled with improv crews like Amy Sedaris. Now he has no leash and zero fucks so we're going to get some really wild good shit.
Let’s take down big media channels. Skylight media merged with paramount. It’s run by Larry Ellison’s (Oracle) son, David Ellison. He took a $26 million loan from Jeffrey Epstein in 2013. Now he’s running Paramount and they intend to merge with Warner thanks to a massive Saudi loan
You done f'd up CBS
Never count Stephen out just because CBS bent over! Im POSITIVE he & his friends have already planned something that tRUMP CAN'T TOUCH & WILL SEND HIM TO THAT MUCH AWAITED MASSIVE STROKE!!
This Colbert kid seems pretty good. I hope somebody gives him a shot to be seen.
Trump doesn’t realize, with other platforms he just made Colbert more popular
Thought to check out a couple of minutes. Watched the whole damn thing! Hilarious! 😂 😂
I was moved by this moment when she was talking about her thyroid cancer.
Yes! Thats my home state, love the midwest moderation, love my mitten state.
Why is the giggling in the background so comforting? 😄
This is the new punk
OMG. Thank you so much for posting this. LOL. Colbert is a national treasure. The man is so fucking funny.
Making me laugh out loud. The Jack White part is hilarious.
A new Stephen Colbert show on *public access television*? (lol) 👍? 👎? Discuss.
I hope this gets millions and millions of views. Show dumbfuck Paramount what they did. (not that it ever gets them to care 😒)
It's so good. Loving the hyperlocal southeast Michigan stuff!
I have too much to do today so I'm pausing it for later--but it's FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for sharing it, Dave. Stephen Colbert is a delight. And I'm now in possession of the knowledge that there must be at least 150 Sasquatch in existence to perpetuate the species, thanks to Jack White.
Master class right there. Great show. And whether or not they knew it, they are showing us how we win. Despite whatever knocks they hand out - stick together, take care of one another, find a way to have a laugh. Who do we want to be? Find your friendlies. Be with them. Support local economies.
I don't post much on my FB account but I had to post the whole show. Now to see what crawls out from under the log I just turned over lol
Eminem cameo for the dumpster fire... 😂
Im telling you: PBS needs to offer Stephen and Evie a cooking show! @pbs.org
Even now, he is spreading joy... from Michigan.
Man! He hasn't lost a step, since The Late Show!
I feel like Stephen Colbert has enough money he could just spend the rest of his life humiliating CBS on every media platform available in the most passive aggressive way possible. Beating Tony D's ratings on a toothbrush that runs Doom would be the GOAT.
Thanks for sharing this! 😎
Impressed by Jack White's comedic timing.
He could single-handedly revive PBS
Colbert and Jack White must be real buddies. I like that.
I love the whole "Fernwood Tonight" vibe. The comedy genius continues.
Wonderful. I hope we see Colbert all over the place............
boss move by colbert. more please!🙏
I am not, repeat not stoned and I am laughing out loud! Please Stephen and Jack syndicate this show! I would watch regularly!!!! I am laughing so hard I am crying!
Brings back happy memories of Martin Mull and Fernwood / America Tonight.
Eminem has been there a couple times.
Just finished it. So great!!!!! Quite the balm after I balled my eyes out at the end of The Late Show. CBS cut it off, can only watch the astonishingly touching 8+min ending on YouTube.
That's the channel where Colbert started.
OMG, I loved this. More Stephen please!!! ❤️❤️❤️
I love this man so much. I can't wait to see CBS tank in the weeks to come.
Holy crap, the hotdog bit with Jack was hilarious. 😂
Thank you for posting. Delightful and true to character.
GEN X, as a generation: "There's still public access television?!!!!"
Thanks for sharing! Great to start my day laughing from good comedy from a great team and guests. Wishing for more Colbert guest host spots!
I love how he hits the can because there is no audience.
I'm a little disturbed that after one of the musical interludes Colbert asked Jack White 'who was that', White replied 'I don't know' when he knows exactly who's music it was, only the greatest band to come out of Detroit, and some would argue the reason the White Stripes ever existed, The Gories.
This is fantastic. I hope Colbert spends the rest of his career guest hosting local access shows.
I saw a Late Show with Stephen Colbert taping and what was evident was this is a guy with boundless energy, he was perfectly suited to be on TV five days a week. I don't think he could stop if wanted to, he needs to engage his muse constantly.
This is the most Michigan lineup anyone could imagine. Was JD Simmons not available?
Don’t know why this hit so hard, but it did
Not a bad idea. Take the show on the road.
You can see here how dependent night show comedy is on a laugh track.
Excuse me as I run to the store for pita, Jif, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce and Ruffles sour cream and onion chips 😋
This was so funny. I hope this is the starting of many public access shows.
That was fantastic!! Watched the whole thing and never laughed so much!
Oh, @agfab1968.bsky.social is going to love this.
This is as good as anything that was on his CBS show. It shows that good comedy doesn't require millions of dollars to produce. Would love to be able to support him directly, via Patreon?, to continue doing these a few times a month.
Steve Buscemi did a great 'commercial' too!
Thank you for this public service announcement. 🫶
That is a very long list of "thanks to" credits for local public access; are those his writers and crew from his other, recently canceled show?
We are all so lucky to experience Colbert’s unhinged era. It’s going to be glorious.
I gotta be honest. I can watch that show every day. It’s super funny and real. Refreshing when everything else feels preprogrammed.
What I’m realizing is that, now Colbert’s off network TV and unleashed again, we might be able to get this but REAL.
Lordy, Stephen, keep rubbing their noses in it!!!!!!
Hilarious. What a great way to start my Saturday morning.
“No spitting, please, on the floor…no.”
This is awesome, as Colbert always is! 🥳Thank you for sharing!
Stick it to CBS. The rest of us should. By boycotting it.
The hog is perfectly fine; frolicking on a big sandwich upstate. 😆
reminds me of Colbert's occasional "Community Calendar" segment on @colbertlateshow.bsky.social, which I loved
"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" went out on a literal high note. Last night’s series finale was the most-watched weeknight episode of Colbert’s eleven-year tenure on the show... www.cnn.com/2026/05/22/m...
The final episode drew an estimated 6.74 million viewers, making it the most-watched weeknight episode in the show's history, according to preliminary Nielsen data. That's more than double the season's average of 2.69 million viewers per episode. mdavis19881.substack.com/p/a-few-thou...
Best "Farewell" show in late night history. I expected the cliched host on a stool, "Thanks for inviting us into your home..." but Colbert covered that quickly ("I feel the news with you"). The show built from there, leading to the first green orb representing fascist influence in talk show history.
And you know what I won’t be watching? Whatever bullshit they replace it with
Thank you Mr. Colbert. Screw CBS.
WTF does “literal high note” mean?
CeeBeeS will now circle the bowl into obscurity. Wonderful series will now lose chunks of its viewership - our house for one. It has been "trumped".
Stephen Colbert joined by Sir Paul McCartney and blueskyer Mark Hamill for The Late Show finale www.bbc.com/news/article...
Love how we consider Hamill now primarily for his Bluesky posts.
To CBS: CLASS and talent have left the building. Goodbye forever to you and everything you once were.
That was Elvis Costello in the background, right?
How great is life when you get to sing with Paul McCartney and Mark Hamill? At the same time?!
This depresses me. It seems like the last of the good guys are showing up as our country is swarmed by the Trump Cult barbarians— gibbering and hooting and smearing their shit on the marble walls of the Capitol. I think we’re done. I think our country has failed. I think Americans are awful people.
Now #CBS is dead to me
Turn off CBS now that The Late Show has come to an end. Don't watch it again.
The final episode drew an estimated 6.74 million viewers, making it the most-watched weeknight episode in the show's history, according to preliminary Nielsen data. That's more than double the season's average of 2.69 million viewers per episode. mdavis19881.substack.com/p/a-few-thou...
I got rid of paramount/cbs app last summer when they cancelled the Late Show. They don’t deserve my money. Colbert has been on YouTube the entire time.
Just to let you know I selected CBS on my TV Schedule I check all the shows I was watching on that pussy channel I was watching Sheriff Country I found it on Global MTL Canceled it on CBS Removed CBS from my TV Channel List NEVER AGAIN ! TrumPedo’s ass-lickers I’m gone !
Don’t forget to cancel Paramount+. Save yourself some money.
Done. And mock Tony Dokoupil RELENTLESSLY. Male Barbie.
Right there with you. He was the only thing I watched there. Dropped 60 minutes ages ago. Sellouts.
LOL last night Stephen Colbert spent an hour hosting public access "Only in Monroe"
I would totally watch this show on a regular basis. Jack White is a hilarious sidekick.
The review of chili dogs 30 minutes is some of the best cable access content ever produced in the history of cable access content.
Let's get this to 10.000.000 subscribers. www.youtube.com/@colbert
so funny. 10/10 for the appearance by the regular hosts & Genevieve.
He’s having a blast doing this. Everything about it is perfect.
my wife was saying he should just go around doing random public access forever
The ratings are in, and it’s official: The Late Show With Stephen Colbert went out with a bang. A record-setting 6.74 million people tuned in to watch the finale on Thursday night, according to reports of preliminary data from Nielsen. (cont.) www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv...
The feat marks the show’s most-watched weeknight episode of all time.
FUCKING TRUMP, is a cunt
The final episode drew an estimated 6.74 million viewers, making it the most-watched weeknight episode in the show's history, according to preliminary Nielsen data. That's more than double the season's average of 2.69 million viewers per episode. mdavis19881.substack.com/p/a-few-thou...
Pretty sure none of the right wingers who are celebrating the end of Stephen Colbert's show have ever actually watched the show. To describe Colbert as smug, arrogant, far left & tantrum throwing is so far from the truth that it's laughable.
I actually read that piece. I can't imagine that guy teaching a class.
Not doing the reading makes it easier to lie, whether to oneself or for one’s bosses when they expect and pay for the lie rather than the truth. (My phone initially autocorrected “one’s bosses” to “bruised ego”, which itself is incredible given the subtext.)
Yeah, granted, I agree with his politics, but he always has mainly seemed to be a kind (and very funny) person and Trump couldn't take a little gentle ribbing.
Trump didn't go to his own son's wedding because he was too busy directing someone to make a bad AI-generated video of himself assaulting Stephen Colbert, because Colbert was trending all day. Happy Memorial Day, everyone!
He probably was butthurt that Colbert didn't even mention his name on the finale... so he's so small and petty he did this.. and we get the jerkoff dance, too. At least he's still unaware of how pathetic that is!
It only makes him look more like a fool. And that stupid dance. Yeesh!!
He is such an embarrassment.
My god! Make this nightmare end already!!
@lazytato.bsky.social the littlest man ever lived
The best part of this video is Trump looking like he's having a seizure
What is happy about Memorial Day? It is a solemn day to remember the service men and women that paid the ultimate price in combat for this nation.
And this man is the President of the United States of America? How could this be? No redeeming qualities at all!
Trump TRIGGERED: "Trump Drops Shocking Violent AI Vid Showing Assault on Late Show Host Stephen Colbert." Once again Trump and MAGA can't compete with comedy so they need to get violent. It's all they have. #DumbAF www.mediaite.com/media/news/t...
The final episode drew an estimated 6.74 million viewers, making it the most-watched weeknight episode in the show's history, according to preliminary Nielsen data. That's more than double the season's average of 2.69 million viewers per episode. mdavis19881.substack.com/p/a-few-thou...
Interesting twist on toning down the rhetoric, Gramps 🙄
Can Colbert press charges in an AI world? 🤔