“I’m on the verge of tears right now,” Bryan Cranston said to his host upon sitting down for a tenth and final interview on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
But by the end of the Emmy-winning actor’s three-segment, mezcal-enhanced visit, it was a “drunken” Stephen Colbert who was sobbing.
As seen in the first clip below, Cranston—who’s out promoting Hulu’s Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair revival—admits to being “on the verge of tears” for his final Late Show visit. But he finds some solace in the fact that he has asked Colbert’s staff if he might “just sit in the audience” at Colbert’s last show airing May 21.
Alas, Colbert responds with some bad news:
Ten-time guest Bryan Cranston shared his wish to simply sit in the audience at the final 'Late Show.'
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) April 9, 2026
Stephen Colbert, alas, has some bad news….. pic.twitter.com/is4MkgRrbK
As their talk continues, Colbert discloses that Cranston sent over margaritas to the show’s staff and crew, on the occasion of his final Late Show appearance. Colbert and Cranston pour themselves some margs there at the host’s desk, and sip at them as the interview goes on.
Ultimately, in the third and final segment, Colbert and Cranston cut to the chase and kick back shots of the mezcal (specifically Dos Hombres, founded by Cranston and Breaking Bad co-star Aaron Paul). That tees up a “drunken” vignette in which the good friends slur their way through their deep-felt appreciation for each other. (Important context: “stung in the scrotum” is in reference to an incident Cranston suffered whilst covered in bees for the original Malcolm in the Middle series.)
“I love you, man!” Colbert professes, echoing Cranston’s similar, sloppy sentiment. The Late Show host then leans back and bellows through “drunken” tears, “Why is this the last time?!”—before the two pros quickly snap out of their “stupors” and get to talking about Cranston’s daughter Tyler Dearden’s excellent work as The Pitt’s Dr. Mel King.
In closing, Colbert raises his margarita glass one more time to Cranston, toasting their ten interviews and saying most sincerely, “Thank you for your friendship—and the next time we have drinks, it will be non-professionally.”
Watch the mezcal shots/aftermath in the video at the top of this page.
