{"id":241689,"date":"2026-05-22T05:28:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T05:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/stephen-colberts-final-late-show-episode-every-celebrity-cameo-revealed-including-paul-mccartney-as-last-guest-ever\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T05:28:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T05:28:30","slug":"stephen-colberts-final-late-show-episode-every-celebrity-cameo-revealed-including-paul-mccartney-as-last-guest-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/22\/stephen-colberts-final-late-show-episode-every-celebrity-cameo-revealed-including-paul-mccartney-as-last-guest-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Colbert&#8217;s Final &#8216;Late Show&#8217; Episode: Every Celebrity Cameo Revealed, Including Paul McCartney as Last Guest Ever"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"post-2216534\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t<!-- Franchise logo or primary category --><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<!-- post title --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/post title --><\/p>\n<p><!-- subheader --><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<!-- post thumbnail --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"tpd-post-thumbnail-container caption_belowImage credit_onImage\"><figcaption><span class=\"credit-text\">Credit: CBS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- \/post thumbnail --><\/p>\n<p>The final episode of <strong><em>The Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em><\/strong> has officially aired and it was a star-studded night to say farewell to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/stephen-colbert\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Stephen Colbert<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s late night show.<\/p>\n<p>CBS canceled <em>The Late Show<\/em> in July 2025, just days after <strong>Colbert<\/strong> had criticized Paramount Global over its $16 million lawsuit settlement with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Donald Trump<\/strong><\/a>. The network has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/2026\/05\/21\/why-is-colberts-the-late-show-ending-was-it-politically-motivated-full-explainer-on-the-decision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claimed that the decision to end the show<\/a> was based on financial pressures facing late-night television.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Colbert<\/strong>\u2018s final show aired on Thursday night (May 21) with several special guests popping into New York City\u2019s legendary Ed Sullivan Theater for the event. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"There&#039;s Nothing Special About Stephen Colbert&#039;s Final Monologue At &quot;The Late Show&quot;\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/76Gopgo-4PY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>Colbert<\/strong> began his monologue by noting that he didn\u2019t want to do anything special for the final show and thought the best way to honor the show\u2019s legacy would be to wrap up with a normal episode, showing everyone what they do best at <em>The Late Show<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>Well, that didn\u2019t go as planned, because quite a few celebrities popped up while he was speaking!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-09.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-09-788x525.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2216541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-09-788x525.jpg 788w, https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-09-428x285.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\" data-mwl-img-id=\"2216541\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bryan-cranston\">Bryan Cranston<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/bryan-cranston\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Bryan Cranston<\/strong><\/a> joked that he wanted to be the final guest on the show, but <strong>Stephen<\/strong> had already booked someone else, so the actor stormed out of the theater and said he was going to sell his ticket on the street.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-04.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"443\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-04-788x443.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2216542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-04-788x443.jpg 788w, https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-04-428x241.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\" data-mwl-img-id=\"2216542\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-paul-rudd-and-tim-meadows\">Paul Rudd and Tim Meadows<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/paul-rudd\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Paul Rudd<\/strong><\/a> interrupted the show next and asked when his interview was going to start, because he wrote a very long poem that he planned on reciting. He was also told he\u2019s not the final guest. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/tim-meadows\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Tim Meadows<\/strong><\/a> was sitting in front of him in the audience and told <strong>Paul <\/strong>that he has to accept not being the final guest. He thought it would be him too and when he found out it wasn\u2019t, <strong>Tim<\/strong> screamed out, \u201cScrew you!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-03.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-03-788x525.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2216543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-03-788x525.jpg 788w, https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-03-428x285.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\" data-mwl-img-id=\"2216543\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ryan-reynolds\">Ryan Reynolds<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/ryan-reynolds\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Ryan Reynolds<\/strong><\/a> also stopped by as a surprise!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-10.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"1182\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-10-788x1182.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2216544\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-10-788x1182.jpg 788w, https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-10-428x642.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\" data-mwl-img-id=\"2216544\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tig-notaro-and-kate-micucci\">Tig Notaro and Kate Micucci<\/h3>\n<p>Comedian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/tig-notaro\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Tig Notaro<\/strong><\/a> made a cameo in the audience at one point and comedian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/kate-micucci\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Kate Micucci<\/strong><\/a> was seen sitting behind her. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-06.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-06-788x525.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2216545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-06-788x525.jpg 788w, https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-06-428x285.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\" data-mwl-img-id=\"2216545\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-other-late-night-hosts\">The other late night hosts!<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/john-oliver\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">John Oliver<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/seth-meyers\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Seth Meyers<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/jimmy-kimmel\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Jimmy Kimmel<\/strong><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/jimmy-fallon\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Jimmy Fallon<\/strong><\/a> filmed a bit with <strong>Colbert <\/strong>to be shown during the final show. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-05.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"443\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-05-788x443.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2216546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-05-788x443.jpg 788w, https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-05-428x241.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\" data-mwl-img-id=\"2216546\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jon-stewart\">Jon Stewart<\/h3>\n<p>Legendary late night host <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/jon-stewart\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Jon Stewart<\/strong><\/a> also stopped by!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-08.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-08-788x525.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2216547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-08-788x525.jpg 788w, https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-08-428x285.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\" data-mwl-img-id=\"2216547\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-neil-degrasse-tyson\">Neil deGrasse Tyson<\/h3>\n<p>Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson made an appearance backstage as part of a joke about being an interdimensional wormhole. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-35.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-35-788x525.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2216548\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-35-788x525.jpg 788w, https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-35-428x285.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\" data-mwl-img-id=\"2216548\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-paul-mccartney-elvis-costello-and-jon-batiste\">Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, and Jon Batiste<\/h3>\n<p>At the end of the night, <strong>Colbert <\/strong>was joined on stage for a performance by musicians <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/paul-mccartney\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Paul McCartney<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/elvis-costello\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Elvis Costello<\/strong><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/jon-batiste\/\" class=\"celebrity-tag-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"celebrity-tag-strong\">Jon Batiste<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large caption_belowImage credit_onImage mobile-image-full-width\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-30.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"788\" height=\"525\" src=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-30-788x525.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2216549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-30-788x525.jpg 788w, https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/stephen-colbert-final-show-30-428x285.jpg 428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100px, 100vw\" data-mwl-img-id=\"2216549\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-paul-mccartney-as-the-final-guest\">Paul McCartney as the final guest!<\/h3>\n<p>While being interviewed as the final guest, legendary singer-songwriter <strong>Paul McCartney<\/strong> presented <strong>Colbert<\/strong> with a framed photo from when <strong>The Beatles<\/strong> performed on the same stage for <em>The Ed Sullivan Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Check out all of the episode photos below<\/p>\n<p class=\"categories single-categories\">Posted To:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/stephen-colbert\/\" rel=\"tag noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Stephen Colbert<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/television\/\" rel=\"tag noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Television<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert\/\" rel=\"tag noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the late show with stephen colbert<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/tig-notaro\/\" rel=\"tag noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tig Notaro<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/tags\/tim-meadows\/\" rel=\"tag noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tim Meadows<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/2026\/05\/22\/stephen-colberts-final-late-show-episode-every-celebrity-cameo-revealed-including-paul-mccartney-as-last-guest-ever\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: CBS The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has officially aired and it was a star-studded night to say farewell to Stephen Colbert\u2018s late night show. CBS canceled The Late Show in July 2025, just days after Colbert had criticized Paramount Global over its $16 million lawsuit settlement with Donald Trump. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-241689","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lifestyle"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}