Stephen Colbert ends The Late Show after 10 years on air

The Ed Sullivan Theater marquee lit up Thursday night as Stephen Colbert took the stage for the final broadcast of The Late Show.

In the days before the finale, a string of guests and fellow late-night hosts appeared with Colbert to share stories and mark the end of the franchise.

Actor Tom Hanks gave him a typewriter. Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, brought two massage chairs and arranged a surprise performance by Andra Day.

Colbert and David Letterman, who hosted the show when it began in 1993, threw furniture from the set off the theater roof in a nod to one of Letterman's old bits.

"You folks wouldn't be in the theater if it weren't for me, and Stephen wouldn't be here if it weren't for me, and we rebuilt this theater, and then Stephen came in and look at this, it's like the Bellagio," Letterman said on the show last week. "As we all understand, you can take a man's show, you can't take a man's voice."

David Byrne joined Colbert on Tuesday. The two, wearing matching blue suits, performed the Talking Heads song "Burning Down the House."

Bruce Springsteen appeared as a guest on Wednesday while on his Land of Hope and Dreams tour.

CBS announced in July that it would end The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and retire the franchise at the close of the season. The network called the move a financial decision amid challenges in late-night television.

Some viewers and critics questioned that explanation, noting Colbert's frequent criticism of President Trump.

Stewart told Colbert this week, "You have maintained such grace through this process." Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show said, "I think it's odd the way it ended for you. And it's a bummer because I wanted to do this longer with you."

Last week, Colbert reunited with Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver, the group known as Strike Force Five from their 2023 podcast during the writers and actors strikes.

"You guys have been wonderful friends and great models for me, and I'm so glad to know and love all of you," Colbert told them.

Kimmel and Fallon both planned to air reruns on Thursday in recognition of the finale.

Colbert, 62, took over The Late Show in September 2015 after Letterman retired. He had previously hosted The Colbert Report on Comedy Central for nine years and worked as a correspondent on The Daily Show.

He developed a style that mixed humor, political satire and interviews. After he took over, the show leaned more toward commentary on current events.

Colbert also spoke openly about his Catholic faith on air and once said he hoped to book Pope Leo XIV before the show ended.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ranked as the top late-night program for nine straight seasons, CBS said last year. In September, it won the Emmy for outstanding talk series.

"I want to thank CBS for giving us the privilege to be part of the late-night tradition, which I hope continues long after we're no longer doing this show," Colbert said while accepting the award.

CBS announced last month that Byron Allen's Comics Unleashed will take the 11:35 p.m. ET slot. Allen called the cancellation "a very unfortunate event" and said he hopes to keep the late-night audience.

"I love Stephen Colbert. I'm a big fan," Allen said.

When Colbert first told his audience about the cancellation in July, he said he had enjoyed sharing the show with viewers for the past 10 years.

"It is a fantastic job. I wish somebody else was getting it," he said.

In a recent interview with People magazine, Colbert said he tried not to take for granted the chance to work in the Ed Sullivan Theater with a live audience and a talented staff.

"You can't do this forever," he said. "Who knows, maybe CBS saved my life. Because it takes a lot of bone marrow to do the show every day, and now I'll be stepping down with enough time, enough energy to do other things that I want to do."

Guests have reflected on the show's end. Hanks said, "I don't know how the entertainment industrial complex is going to survive without you." Oprah Winfrey told Colbert last month, "Thank you so much for holding the space for laughter," and asked the audience if he had not done the same for them.