Late Show with Stephen Colbert welcomes Paul McCartney as final guest 62 years after Beatles played historic Ed Sullivan Theatre

Stephen Colbert said goodbye to the Late Show after more than a decade on the air — but not without an epic finale guest.

Halfway through the final episode, the 62-year-old presenter unexpectedly invited Beatles legend Paul McCartney, 83, onto the stage.

It was a historic moment as McCartney and his Beatles bandmates John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison made their first television appearance in the United States at the Ed Sullivan Theater where Colbert was filmed 62 years ago.

More than 73 million viewers tuned into The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 to watch The Beatles’ performance that officially sparked ‘Beatlemania’ in the US.

Moments before McCartney’s surprise appearance on Thursday’s show, Colbert joked that Pope Leo would be his final guest but refused to leave his dressing room.

The scenario played out in a hilarious skit, with Colbert begging the fake Pope Leo to leave the locker room and the imposter throwing a Chicago-style hot dog in disgust.

Just minutes before the end of his final episode, the 62-year-old presenter invited 83-year-old Beatles legend Paul McCartney to the stage.

“The Pope, who is definitely my guest tonight, canceled,” Colbert shouted from behind his desk.

“We’ve already sent out the other stars,” Colbert said, referencing the roles of Ryan Reynolds and other stars who stopped by the studio. ‘This is terrible.’

Then ‘Who will be my last guest now?’ he asked.

McCartney then yelled at Stephen from backstage and walked onto the stage.

‘Hello Stephen! What about me? ‘I can do it,’ said the musician seriously.

As McCartney and Colbert embraced, the shocked audience erupted in applause and cheers.

Colbert called McCartney his “perfect final guest” and joked that the rocker was “just in the area” and decided to stop by.

He then presented an incredible gift to Colbert, who was a huge Beatles fan.

Removing the gift from the back of McCartney’s chair, Colbert revealed a framed, color photo of The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show.

The audience was amazed by the music legend

It was a historic moment when McCartney and his Beatles bandmates John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison famously appeared on television for the first time in the United States at the Ed Sullivan Theater where Colbert was filmed; seen in 1964

“This is it,” Colbert said, referring to the Ed Sullivan Theatre.

The photo was signed by McCartney and included a personal message to Colbert.

“According to Stephen, you’re better than the Beatles,” Colbert read aloud, while McCartney insisted that wasn’t actually what the note said.

After thanking McCartney for the “beautiful” gift, Colbert asked if he could “still hear the girls screaming” from the Beatles days when he closed his eyes at the Ed Sullivan Theatre.

‘Yes,’ McCartney replied enthusiastically, prompting the entire studio audience to recreate the famous Beatlemania fanfare he had experienced sixty years earlier.

Further recalling this iconic performance, McCartney shared that TV pioneer Sullivan, who died in 1974, was “really nice” to the band and a “really great guy.”

Colbert asked McCartney to share his memories of that day 62 years ago.

‘You know, we’ve never been to America,’ he started. ‘We came here and people said this was the biggest show. To tell you the truth, we’ve never heard of it before [Ed Sullivan] in England.

Just before McCartney’s surprise appearance, Colbert joked that Pope Leo would be his last guest but refused to leave his dressing room.

The scenario played out in a hilarious skit, with Colbert begging the fake Pope Leo to leave the locker room and the imposter throwing a Chicago-style hot dog in disgust.

As Colbert said all his “stars” had already left for the night, McCartney emerged from backstage and offered to be the host’s final guest.

‘But yeah, it was amazing,’ he added.

McCartney said he and the Beatles, then in their early 20s, were ‘very pleased’ with their first performance, which included live renditions of five of their hits (All My Loving, Till There You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There and I Want To Hold Your Hand).

They later returned to the show a week later on February 16, 1964, and months later on May 24, 1964.

The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show a total of four times, with their last pre-recorded appearance airing on September 12, 1965.

‘Looking back now, what I’m glad about is we were live and [sounded] good,’ McCartney said of the Ed Sullivan sets.

McCartney said that although Lennon, Starr and Harrison were ‘a little nervous’ about performing on US television for the first time, they were also ‘young kids’ who were ‘full of ourselves’.

To close Colbert’s final segment, McCartney pulled out his guitar and performed The Beatles’ hit Hello, Goodbye with Colbert and the Late Show band.

The performance also featured Jon Batiste, Louis Cato and music legend Elvis Costello.

The entire audience was on its feet as Colbert emotionally sang along and savored his final seconds on the air.

McCartney gifted Colbert a signed photo of The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.

Before thanking McCartney for the “beautiful” gift, Colbert asked if he could “still hear the girls screaming” from his Beatles days when he would close his eyes at the Ed Sullivan Theatre.

To end Colbert’s final segment, McCartney pulled out his guitar and performed The Beatles’ hit Hello, Goodbye with Colbert and the band Late Show.

The performance also featured Jon Batiste, Louis Cato and music legend Elvis Costello.

The song brought the entire audience to its feet as Colbert emotionally sang along and savored his final seconds on the air.

The comedian spent nearly 11 years at the helm of The Late Show, taking over as host from David Letterman in September 2015.

The 79-year-old started his late-night talk show in 1993 and retired 22 years later.

A number of celebrities, including Ryan Reynolds, Jon Stewart and Steven Spielberg, helped Colbert wrap up the show this week.

Their opponents are Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon will re-air Thursday night as a mark of respect for the departed star.

Colbert shockingly announced on July 17 that Paramount/CBS would not be renewing his contract after 11 years on the air and that they would be ending the nightly show.

At the time, the network claimed it was “purely a financial decision,” but the cancellation came just days after Colbert called Paramount/CBS’s $16 million lawsuit settlement with President Donald Trump a “massive bribe.”

Paramount was also in the midst of a multibillion-dollar merger with movie studio Skydance, which required government approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Immediately following the conclusion of the show, Colbert will host a Ignition and Festive celebration party for the Late Show.

Colbert spent nearly 11 years at the helm of The Late Show, taking over as host in September 2015; Pictured with Trump during an episode in September 2015

He took the reins from David Letterman, 79, who launched the late-night talk show in 1993; Seen with Letterman in 2023

The high-profile guest list includes Taylor Swift; Seen in show in December 2025

Fallon (pictured left) and Kimmel (pictured right) gave Colbert an unconventional send-off by going dark in solidarity late at night. Reruns of their programs were broadcast instead

As reported by Variety, the party invitations feature the show’s red, white and blue logo, which has been changed to read: ‘LAST SHOW WITH Stephen Colbert’.

The invitations read: ‘This is a WRAP! (PARTY)’.

The dress code is said to be ‘Fired and Festive’ and the event will take place at an event venue close to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City.

It has been reported that ‘many celebrities’ will attend the recorded after party.