Stephen Colbert opened the final episode of his long-running reign on The Late Show with a tribute to viewers, calling the program a "joy machine" after 11 years on air.
In a star-studded farewell from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City on Thursday night, the 62-year-old was joined by the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Paul Rudd.
Colbert said his role on the CBS talk show was not only to recap the news, but to "feel the news" alongside them.
"We call (the show) 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," he said.
