Colbert’s Final Late Show Turns Into Star-Studded Guessing Game: Who’s the Guest?

The Late Show‘s series finale was full of surprises from the start, beginning with—but also well beyond—Stephen Colbert‘s atypical opening remarks.

Colbert (as detailed here) actually opened his final show leaning against his desk, speaking informally to both the audience and those at home about his eleven-year Late Show mission to “feel the news with you.” He capped that folksy address with his usual, nightly charge: “Have a good show. Thanks for being here. And let’s do it, y’all.”

Cut to a cold open that was a bit of a tour through late-night history, a clever edit of nearly two-dozen late-night hosts past and present—Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, and Steve Allen included—forming a sentence about Colbert.

Colbert then returned to the stage via his usual triumphant entrance. He launched into his usual monologue mode, starting with, “If you’re just tuning into The Late Show, you missed a lot!” He spoke lovingly of calling The Ed Sullivan Theater home all these years, and did a “First Drafts” version of goodbye cards.

Colbert presented to have a “normal episode” on tap versus a special one, and started to launch into the day’s big headlines. But soon enough, it became clear this would be a monologue like no other, as celebrities sprinkled throughout the audience took turns interrupting his flow.

Each and every one of them had the same question, regarding their role in this momentous television event: “Am I your final guest?”

Bryan Cranston was first to learn there was no need for him to be the night’s guest.

Paul Rudd (who had a “really long poem” to read) and Tim Meadows (who was furious to not revisit their Second City days) also crashed the monologue.

Next up was the final “Meanwhile” segment, which among other things risked putting CBS on the hook for Louis Cato and the Big Joy Machine playing the “Peanuts” theme. Colbert spotted Tig Notaro in the audience, assuming she, too, expected to be his guest—though she 1) simply likes to attend historic events, and 2) didn’t know it was his last show.

Ryan Reynolds, also among the crowd, interrupted the Colbert-Notaro convo to express his own disappointment that neither was he the show’s final guest.

So, who was the chosen one, to be last to sit in the guest chair, and thus be the 33-year-old Late Show franchise’s final interview? After a half of a tease that it would in fact be Colbert’s dream guest, Pope Leo XIV—alas, his rider about green room snacks wasn’t satisfied—Sir James Paul McCartney came out from the wings to offer himself up.

And he arrived bearing a truly “fab” gift for Colbert.