In just a week, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will be coming to an end. The show has been on for nearly 11 years and has been a mainstay in late-night television, with Stephen Colbert remaining a favorite among fans. Unfortunately, the show is nearing its controversial conclusion. Here are some of the final guests gracing Stephen’s couch one last time.
The Late Show ends later this month
The Late Show began in September 2015, and on May 21, 2026, the show will be airing for the last time. This won’t only be the end of Stephen’s tenure as host but also the conclusion of the Late Show format. In July 2025, CBS announced it would be retiring the Late Show brand.
This announcement was met with much backlash. Despite the network claiming to make the decision for “financial reasons,” many called it a political move tied to the Skydance-Paramount merger and Stephen’s critical views of the president.
As the show nears the end, part of Stephen’s final guest lineup has been revealed. The final episode airs on May 21st, 11:35 PM EST. It will be available on YouTube soon after and can be streamed on Paramount+.
The series finale guests are still under wraps. But the guests in the final week leading up to the series finale included some heavy hitters. The big strikeforce five of late-night hosts appeared on May 11, including Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver. Tom Hanks appeared on the show on May 13, and the OG David Letterman came back on May 15.
According to The Wrap, on Tuesday, May 19, Jon Stewart is set to appear on the show along with Steven Spielberg. A special performance by David Byrne and Stephen will follow.
On May 20, Stephen will take the “Colbert Questionert” featuring “special guests.” Wednesday’s show will also feature a performance by Bruce Springsteen. This leads up to the finale on May 21. Hello Magazine reported that in support of Stephen’s final show, both the Jimmys will not be airing a new episode that night.
TELL US – ARE YOU SAD TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO STEPHEN COLBERT? ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT HE DOES NEXT?
