Stephen Colbert went stargazing one last time Tuesday night, reviving one of The Late Show’s oldest recurring bits with his guest Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
“Big Questions with Even Bigger Stars,” which first aired during Colbert’s very first week behind the Late Show desk in September 2015, found the host lying under the stars with a celebrity guest, asking—and answering—life’s deepest, dumbest questions.
The segment aired 17 times in all, living up to its name with past participants Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Lawrence, Will Smith, Kermit the Frog, Samuel L. Jackson, Mel Gibson, Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Justin Timberlake, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew McConaughey, Keanu Reeves, and Daniel Craig.
For Tuesday night’s final edition, Colbert traded a new set of pseudo-profundities with the Emmy-winning Veep and Seinfeld star. Asked about the difference between living and being alive, Colbert answered, “A second cup of coffee.” Asked whether violence is ever the answer, Louis-Dreyfus said no—“It’s too many letters for Wordle.”
Colbert opened the segment by acknowledging that, as The Late Show nears its end, he’s been feeling “a little philosophical.” He added that whenever he feels that way, he likes to head “to a special hillside out in the country to ponder deep questions with stars like Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, and Mel Gibson—who I had forgotten was ever on my show.”
The final question brought the bit squarely back to the end of The Late Show. Louis-Dreyfus asked Colbert what he thinks happens “when this all ends.”
His answer: “I think I’ll probably start a podcast.”
As the days tick down to The Late Show‘s final episode on May 21, Colbert has brought back several of the show’s most memorable recurring segments, including final installments of “Rescue Dog Rescue” and “Kids Pitch” last week.
Watch the last “Big Questions with Even Bigger Stars” at the top of this post.
