Jon Stewart joined Stephen Colbert during Colbert’s penultimate week on CBS’ “The Late Show,” delivering sharp jokes at CBS and the network’s news leadership amid the cancellation of the show last July. With only days left before the May 21 series finale, Colb
Stephen Colbert’s final stretch of “The Late Show” is playing out like a public goodbye—complete with a familiar face leaning in close.
On May 19, during the third-to-last episode of the CBS late-night staple, Jon Stewart sat down with Colbert. The moment landed in the middle of Colbert’s countdown to an abrupt end: CBS canceled “The Late Show” in July, and Colbert now has only two episodes remaining before the series finale.
Stewart said he was there “to celebrate my friend” and the “joy” Colbert’s show brought “to so many people.” He also praised Colbert for keeping “such grace through this process.”
Then Stewart turned his attention to CBS itself. He mocked the decision to end the program and even widened the jab beyond late night. With sarcastic precision. he suggested CBS was “taking this show off the air” and “ruin[ing] your evening news. ” before adding that “60 Minutes” would be reduced to “like. six good ones.” He also alluded to recent changes at the network’s news division. where several journalists have departed roles at “CBS Evening News” and “60 Minutes” after Bari Weiss was hired as editor-in-chief.
Stewart’s comments carried more personal bite when he joked about his own family. When Colbert mentioned Stewart’s 92-year-old mother, Stewart replied that “in five more years, she’ll be CBS’ target demographic.”
The humor was fast, but the setup was clear: this wasn’t just a farewell episode—it was Stewart showing up at a moment when late-night culture is breaking from a familiar script.
Colbert. for his part. welcomed Stewart with the kind of sympathy that comes from having lived through the same kind of television shakeup. With just two days until the final episode. Stewart spoke about his own history of being fired and reinvention. joking that it was “the best!” In 1995. Stewart’s “The Jon Stewart Show” was canceled. He also voluntarily stepped away from “The Daily Show” in 2015 before returning in 2024.
Stewart then recalled advice he said he received from David Letterman after his show was canceled. “Don’t confuse cancellation with failure,” Letterman told him—though Stewart added that in this case, “it is also a failure.”
Colbert and Stewart also talked about how the late-night landscape has shifted inside the same corporate family. Stewart hosts the Monday episodes of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central. which shares Paramount Skydance as its parent company alongside CBS. Colbert told Stewart. “You now are the only person in the corporation left in late night.” He followed it with a blunt. friendly sign-off: “Good luck!” Stewart called that “chilling. ” but said his “saving grace” is that “I don’t think Trump has cable.”.
The business logic behind “The Late Show”’s end has been contested. Paramount said in July that canceling the program was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” But critics alleged the move was aimed at appeasing the Trump administration amid a merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media that required Trump administration approval.
That critique was sharpened by the Writers’ Guild of America. The union said last year it had “significant concerns that ‘The Late Show’s’ cancelation is a bribe. sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration as the company looks for merger approval.” The merger was completed in August.
Despite the tension surrounding corporate decisions, Stewart made the farewell personal. After praising Colbert as a “tremendous human. and one of my favorite people. ” he presented Colbert with a gift: a pair of luxurious reclining chairs. Stewart framed it as proof that a different life is possible beyond the daily grind of show business. saying it showed “the life you can lead. and the life that I am leading. now that I am not really in show business.”.
Colbert’s rise traces back to the partnership with Stewart that became a defining chapter of Comedy Central’s history. Colbert rose to prominence working with Stewart as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show. ” which led to his 2005 spinoff. “The Colbert Report.” Stewart was a cocreator of “The Colbert Report. ” which ran for years after “The Daily Show” until Colbert moved to “The Late Show” in 2015.
Stewart has appeared on “The Late Show” many times, including after he left “The Daily Show” in 2015. At one point. Stewart and Colbert had a running joke that Stewart lived under Colbert’s desk. so he would pop up whenever he had thoughts to share on the news. Stewart is also a producer on “The Late Show.”.
Colbert’s remaining time on the air is packed. Colbert now has just two episodes of “The Late Show” remaining. On May 20, Bruce Springsteen will stop by for a performance. Colbert will also take his own “Colbert Questionert. ” described as a series of lighthearted questions “featuring special guests.” The series finale is scheduled for May 21. though no guests for the final show have been announced.
Jon Stewart Stephen Colbert The Late Show CBS Bari Weiss CBS Evening News 60 Minutes Paramount Skydance Paramount Global Skydance Media merger Trump administration Writers' Guild of America Bruce Springsteen Late night