Stephen Colbert has delivered the final monologue of his tenure on The Late Show, joking about the show’s cancellation in the process.
Colbert, 62, subtly acknowledged the long-running program getting axed by CBS during Thursday night’s broadcast.
After diving into his monologue about the news of the day — which featured cameos from Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd and Mean Girls actor Tim Meadows — Colbert joked about the “one upside” to the show ending, saying, “I won't have to talk about the inevitable rise of the machine overlords, though I have recently been given some hope for mankind in the form of this new dancing robot from China.”
He then cut to the viral video of a robot dancing to a Michael Jackson song before tripping on a set of stairs and having to be dragged offstage, leaving the studio audience laughing.
Later in the monologue, Colbert briefly mentioned his post-Late Show future, joking, “A lot of people been asking me what I plan to do after tonight, and the answer is drugs.”
CBS’s long-running Late Show franchise ended Thursday after 33 years on air. It originated in 1993 with David Letterman, who later passed the torch to Colbert in 2015.
The network announced its cancellation last July, just days after Colbert criticized the network’s parent company, Paramount, for reaching a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over accusations that its newsmagazine series 60 Minutes deceptively edited a 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. CBS staffers told The Independent it was a continuation of the “Trump shakedown” that began with the settlement.
Instead of lashing out at the network, Colbert seemingly took the high road and began the show’s final broadcast by speaking directly to viewers about his 11-year tenure as host.
“This show, I want you to know, has been a joy for us to do for you. In fact, we call this show ‘The Joy Machine,’” Colbert said. “We call it ‘The Joy Machine,’ because to do this many shows it has to be a machine. But the thing is, if you choose to do it with joy, it doesn't hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears.
“I cannot adequately explain to you what the people who work here have done for each other, and how much we mean to each other,” he continued.
“Now, I'll say to you what I've said to every audience for the last 11 years, and I've met it every time. Have a good show. Thanks for being here. And let's do it, y'all.”
When Colbert acknowledged the finality of the moment, prompting the studio audience to begin booing, the host quickly interjected: “No, no, we were lucky enough to be here for the last 11 years. You can't take this for granted.”
