Stephen Colbert avoids mentioning Trump in star-studded ‘The Late Show’ finale

Stephen Colbert officially took his final bow as host of “The Late Show” after 11 years with a star-studded series finale that eschewed getting political.

“It was our pleasure to produce this show for you,” Colbert told his audience in the cold open.

“Back in the day, on the first night of ‘The Colbert Report,’ I said, ‘Anyone can read the news, I promise you I’ll feel the news.’ And I soon realized in this job that our job here was different. We were here to feel the news with you. And I don’t know about you, but I definitely felt it,” he said.

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Colbert, known for pioneering the politicization of late-night television, eschewed politics on his latest show, not even mentioning President Donald Trump’s name.

Filling the political void were Colbert’s famous friends. The cast included Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, Ryan Reynolds, Neil deGrass Tyson, Andy Cohen, Elijah Wood and Jon Stewart, many of whom jokingly requested to be Colbert’s final guest. That honor eventually went to Paul McCartney.

McCartney presented Colbert with a framed and signed photo of the Beatles making their American debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the same studio 62 years ago.

COLBERT’S FINAL YEAR WAS MARKED BY ATTACKS ON TRUMP, LIBERAL TALKING POINTS, AND CELEBRITIES KISSING HIS RING

Paul McCartney appeared as Stephen Colbert’s latest guest on “The Late Show.” (Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Later-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver also offered another send-off after appearing on stage together earlier this month.

Kimmel and Fallon previously announced they would air it again on Thursday night in solidarity with their canceled counterparts.

Stephen Colbert had left-wing journalists, hosted ‘THE LATE Show’ more than 200 times

During the finale of “The Late Show”, Colbert was joined by late-night hosts John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon. (Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

The extended series finale concluded with a musical performance featuring Colbert, Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste and Louis Cato singing “Jump Up.” McCartney then joined them to perform the classic Beatles song “Hello, Goodbye.”

Colbert’s family and “The Late Show” cast also took to the stage for the extravagant send-off ceremony.

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Colbert was joined by his family and crew in the final moments of “The Late Show.” (Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

The cancellation of “The Late Show” that CBS announced last summer sparked a national controversy, with Colbert’s liberal defenders accusing the network of taking him off the air for political reasons; The announcement comes just days after CBS parent Paramount settled Trump’s “60 Minutes” lawsuit. Shortly after the cancellation was announced, Trump’s FCC approved Paramount’s multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media, run by David Ellison, son of billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison.

CBS maintained that the cancellation was a purely financial decision; It was an allegation that Colbert publicly denied, challenging corporate bosses on his own show. However, at the time, it was reported that “The Late Show” was losing a whopping $40 million a year to the network.

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