{"id":2605702,"date":"2026-05-22T02:05:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stephen-colbert-signs-off-one-last-time-hello-goodbye\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T02:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:07:07","slug":"stephen-colbert-signs-off-one-last-time-hello-goodbye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stephen-colbert-signs-off-one-last-time-hello-goodbye\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Colbert signs off one last time: \u2018Hello, Goodbye\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstephen-colbert-signs-off-one-last-time-hello-goodbye%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2605702&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Stephen Colbert signed off for the last time on Thursday,ending his 11-year run as host of **the Late Show** at New York\u2019s Ed Sullivan Theatre. CBS had announced the show\u2019s cancellation the prior July, calling it a \u201cfinancial decision,\u201d and colbert used the final broadcast too thank viewers, lightly criticize his employer, and deliver what he framed as a \u201cregular episode.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The finale, titled **\u201cHello, Goodbye,\u201d** mixed reflective moments with jokes about the cancellation. It also touched off censorship concerns amid Paramount\/CBS parent company\u2019s pending merger process with Skydance, which requires FCC approval-an issue Colbert has commented on frequently due to his outspoken views on Donald Trump. Celebrities appeared throughout to playfully tease that they were the final guest, and the mystery of the last interview sparked online speculation, including rumors about Pope Leo XIV, which Colbert leaned into during the segment.<\/p>\n<p>the final guest was **Paul McCartney**,who joined Colbert to discuss his career and upcoming album.McCartney\u2019s appearance was especially meaningful because the Beatles performed their first American show at the Ed sullivan Theater. The article notes that other late-night hosts responded by airing reruns in solidarity and that many joined Colbert for skits about the end of late-night TV.<\/p>\n<p>It also places the cancellation in a difficult moment for the industry, as late-night viewership faces pressure from changing media habits. Colbert took over in 2015 from David Letterman, and the show\u2019s broader history is highlighted, including notable early guests and that the programme ended with Colbert joining McCartney to perform the Beatles\u2019 classic \u201cHello, Goodbye.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Late-night TV host <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/stephen-colbert\/\">Stephen Colbert<\/a> signed off for the last time Thursday evening after 11 years at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CBS <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3475213\/cbs-cancels-late-show-stephen-colbert-financial-decision\/\">announced the cancellation<\/a> of the <em>The Late Show with Stephen Colbert <\/em>in July, citing it as a \u201cfinancial decision.\u201d Colbert used his final episode to thank his viewers, criticize his employer, and have a \u201cregular episode.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4577918\/spencer-pratt-says-his-role-model-is-jesus-christ\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Spencer Pratt says his role model is Jesus Christ<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4577769\/jimmy-fallon-mocks-trump-irs-settlement-tonight-show\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Jimmy Fallon mocks Trump-IRS settlement: \u2018So he got immunity, no more audits, OMG\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4577822\/mamdani-launch-twitch-show-speak-directly-new-yorker\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mamdani launches Twitch show to speak \u2018directly\u2019 with New Yorkers<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe love doing this show for you, but what we really, really love is doing the show with you,\u201d Colbert said during his opening remarks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his monologue, Colbert said he considered a \u201chuge finale,\u201d but felt the \u201cregular episode\u201d felt more appropriate. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The episode, titled, \u201cHello, Goodbye,\u201d had a bittersweet tone, intertwining moments of reflection and appreciation, while poking fun at CBS with the typical humor seen in every episode. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout the episode Colbert would state it was a normal show, but would make jokes relating to the show\u2019s cancellation. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >cancellation prompted censorship accusations<\/a> as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Paramount\/\">Paramount<\/a>, CBS\u2019s parent company, was entering a merger with Skydance that needed approval from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/federal-communications-commission\/\">Federal Communications Commission<\/a>. Colbert is a frequent critic of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the episode, various celebrities like Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, Tig Notaro, and Bryan Cranston, would pop in to joke that they were there to be interviewed as the final guest. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the audience booed in response to Colbert saying it was his last episode, the late-night host reiterated his appreciation for holding the position for as long as he did.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo, no, we were lucky enough to be here for the last 11 years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colbert had announced the guests for the last week of episodes, but stopped short of sharing the final episode\u2019s guest. Because of the mystery around the final guest, there was speculation online about who it might be, with rumors suggesting it could be <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pope-leo-xiv\/\">Pope Leo XIV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colbert is an outspoken Catholic who has been open about his faith throughout his career, so some people speculated the final guest could be the Pope after Colbert said he would be his \u201cwhite whale\u201d guest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colbert played into the rumors, opening the guest segment with someone acting as Pope Leo XIV refusing to come out of his dressing room, because his rider (a list of demands or requirements that an artist sets) wasn\u2019t met, including the quality of the hot dogs in the dressing room.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ultimately, Paul McCartney joined Colbert for the final interview on the <em>Late Show,<\/em> discussing the former Beatle\u2019s career and his upcoming album, <em>The Boys of Dungeon Lane<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McCartney\u2019s appearance was special, as the Beatles performed their first American show at the Ed Sullivan Theater, the same venue Colbert hosted the <em>Late Show<\/em> for 11 years. The musician gifted Colbert a signed photo of the group performing at the theater. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All eyes were on Colbert\u2019s final show, as his fellow late-night hosts decided to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4563011\/jimmy-kimmel-air-rerun-night-stephen-colbert-final-late-night-broadcast\/\">air reruns<\/a> in solidarity with Colbert, including <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Jimmy-Kimmel\/\">Jimmy Kimme<\/a>l. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One segment of the show was dedicated to joking about the end of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/princess-bride-star-tells-cruz-he-has-contempt-for-him-cruz-fires-back-photo-that-star-signed-to-him\/\" title=\"\u2018Princess Bride\u2019 Star Tells Cruz He Has \u2018Contempt\u2019 For Him. Cruz Fires Back Photo That Star Signed To Him.\">late-night television<\/a>. Numerous late-night hosts joined Colbert for the skit, including his fellow members of \u201cStrike Force Five\u201d: Kimmel, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jimmy-fallon\/\">Jimmy Fallon<\/a>, Jon Oliver, and Seth Meyers. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The demise of the late-show comes at a challenging time for late-night television, as viewership declines from a developing media landscape and shifts away from cable news. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colbert took over the <em>Late Show<\/em> in 2015 from long-time host, David Letterman.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/4575461\/stephen-colbert-demise-by-the-numbers\/\"><strong>STEPHEN COLBERT\u2019S DEMISE, BY THE NUMBERS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The show started in 1993, bringing Letterman to CBS after 5 years of hosting <em>Late Night with David Letterman<\/em> on NBC. Since its inception, the show has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cbs-to-end-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-citing-financial-decision-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... to end The Late Show With Stephen ..., citing \u2018financial decision\u2019 - Washington Examiner\">featured numerous celebrities<\/a>, political figures, and other notable figures. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The debut episode in 1993 featured Bill Murrary as the show\u2019s first guest, and Billy Joel as its first musical act. As for Colbert\u2019s first show in 2015, George Clooney was the first guest. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The show ended with Colbert joining McCartney to perform the Beatles\u2019s classic, \u201cHello, Goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Late-night host Stephen Colbert signs off after 11 years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3984,"featured_media":2605703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26138668007358.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[9717,38026,39326],"class_list":["post-2605702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-farewell","tag-stephen-colbert","tag-the-late-show"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26138668007358.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3984"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605702"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2605706,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605702\/revisions\/2605706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2605703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2605702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}