One of the quiet pleasures of watching The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in recent months has been the occasional burst of affection from the guests who walk onto that stage.
The tributes began after CBS announced last July that it would cancel the show at the end of its eleventh season, giving the program the unusual experience of playing out its final year in full view of its audience.
These goodbyes may not be for everyone. But for longtime fans of a show, they’re something to be savored. They also fit into a tradition that’s generated some of the most memorable moments in late-night history.
Before Johnny Carson signed off from The Tonight Show in 1992, performers who had spent years sitting on his couch returned to reflect on what the host had meant to them.
Likewise, when David Letterman prepared to sign off from Late Show with David Letterman in 2015, the program leaned into its history—welcoming back familiar guests and revisiting the relationships he had built over more than three decades in late night.
That’s what happens when a major late-night host reaches the end of a run. The people who shared that stage acknowledge the moment.
If anything, the circumstances surrounding Stephen Colbert‘s departure make those moments feel even more natural. Colbert did not decide to end his No. 1 show; the decision was made for him. For the guests sitting across from him during these final months, ignoring that reality would feel strange—like pretending the elephant in the room wasn’t there.
Instead, they’ve done what late-night guests have always done in moments like this: they’ve spoken from the heart.
Late-night interviews have always been collaborative television—hosts, guests, and producers all aware of the moment they’re sharing.
John Lithgow reading a poem for the host. Bette Midler reworking “Wind Beneath My Wings” into a comic tribute. Drew Barrymore reprising her Letterman desk dance for Colbert. Jimmy Fallon serenading Colbert with his own rendition of Sinatra’s “My Way.” These gestures aren’t indulgences. They’re expressions of respect.
They’re also a reminder of something easy to forget in an industry built on competition: late-night television is, at its core, a community.
In late night, the same comedians, actors and musicians return year after year, building relationships with the hosts who introduce their work to audiences. Over time, those professional encounters often turn into genuine friendships.
Watching Colbert this year has also been revealing in another way. Throughout, the South Carolina native has carried himself with the understated manners of the Southern gentleman he is: appreciative, a little bashful, and notably uninterested in settling scores.
There are many ways a departing host could treat a forced exit. Television history is full of bitter farewells.
That hasn’t been Colbert’s approach.
Instead, the show has continued doing what it has done for the past decade: delivering sharp political comedy, thoughtful interviews, and the occasional moment of genuine television spontaneity. The only difference now is that the people passing through the doors of the Ed Sullivan Theater are taking a moment to acknowledge what the show—and its host—have meant to them.
What we’re watching isn’t indulgence. It’s the natural closing chapter of a show that mattered—to its audience, and clearly to the people who have sat across from its desk.
So here’s the memo to Stephen Colbert: Don’t change a thing.
Hope you get another show which will utilize your great skills to entertain us
In other words, Variety’s critic can bless his heart.
Concur 100%
I still want there to be some way to keep Stephen Colbert on the air. I never did watch much of CBS TV because it’s always been in last place after the other networks and their shows just are not good. but Mr Colbert is wonderful and needs to find another show if CBS doesn’t relent and keep him!!
What CBS did to Stephen Colbert was sooo wrong. They are losing a great show and a great talent. I will miss my late night laughing and smiling ☺️ .
Thank you for writing this. Variety’s take on this was so off base.
Haha nobody under 70 knows who Colbert is. Poor millionaire
If that’s the flex you think it is! If it helps you get to sleep at night!
We’ll miss you Stephen. Don’t let this be your final chapter!
Love Stephen Colbert!! It’s a shame that political nonsense and whoever has the money to influence the networks can end the best late night show ever. I hope he gets a new show on Netflix!
so sad that the powers that be are ending your show. I for one won’t be looking at CBS anymore.Go with God Stephen.
We need Stephen now more than ever and I hope I don’t have to “miss” him, but that he continues on to another network or widely watched venue, not just a “podcast”, that cemetery world of non-talents and frauds.
He helps us cope with the daily horrors we must wake up to each mourning emanating from Trump & Co. His writers are outstanding, his band as well, and he is as sharp as it gets. His cancellation ought to be considered a crime.
You are a beloved member of my Family.
Thanks for the memories
Thanks so much for your comment, I completely agree. Stephen Colbert will be greatly missed, The cancellation of his show felt vicious, you-know who’s vindictiveness has become legendary. But you-know-who will be gone in 3 years while Stephen Colbert will continue to inspire through his wit and brilliant comedy.
The Late Show is the only CBS product we watch. Once Colbert is off, we are done with CBS. They can convert the Ed Sullivan Theatre into a warehouse.
CBS’s storied reputation is forever tarnished.