On Friday’s “Morning Joe,” panelists and a guest author discussed Stephen Colbert’s final “Late Show” episode and what it could mean for Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers—while Willie Geist pointed to fallout involving President Donald Trump.
For the “Morning Joe” panel, Stephen Colbert’s last night on “The Late Show” wasn’t just an ending. It was a prompt—one that left them looking at the rest of late night and asking how long it will be until the next set of hosts feels the same pressure.
On Friday’s show. guests weighed in on what Colbert’s exit—and the conclusion of “The Late Show” entirely—might mean for Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy Kimmel. and Seth Meyers. Jon Meacham. a history author who has appeared on Colbert’s program in the past. framed Colbert’s run as more than entertainment. pointing back to Colbert’s earlier work on “Comedy Central.”.
“What Colbert has done. beginning with his character ‘Stephen Colbert’ and his attack on truthiness. and really kind of the prescient ability he had to see where so much of our public life was going back in his Comedy Central days. ” Meacham said. “And then he brought that to this enormous audience—what passes certainly for an enormous audience in this atomized world.”.
Meacham also drew a line between Colbert’s cultural reach and a time when fewer outlets competed for attention. “That’s another thing to think about, think of how many people had to tune in to Ed Sullivan in 1964 because there weren’t that many other options,” he added.
He then zeroed in on the role Colbert played as a unifying presence in a fractured media landscape. “Here. Colbert was as the capstone and one of the few things that could bring a lot of people together in this media climate. ” Meacham said. “I think we’re going to miss him, miss his insight. For those who say, ‘Oh, he was too political, too partisan’—always worry when they come for the comedians.”.
Willie Geist, later on the panel, suggested that Colbert landing in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs likely played a part in the cancellation. Geist said Trump is now focused on the rest of the late-night lineup.
“Obviously, Jimmy Kimmel has come under withering fire, almost weekly it seems, from President Trump,” Geist said. “He’s been suspended and come back to his job. There were calls a couple of weeks ago after the Correspondents’ Dinner for him to be fired. He has not been.”
That shift in attention hangs over the discussion of who might be next. Meacham’s warning came with a clear target—comedians—and Geist’s remarks landed on Kimmel, while Fallon and Seth Meyers sat inside the same larger question: what happens after Colbert’s final episode.
Colbert’s last “Late Show” wrapped up on Thursday with a finale that followed familiar rhythms—then punctuated them with star power. The series finale included celebrity cameos from Paul Rudd. Ryan Reynolds. Bryan Cranston. Tig Notaro. Tim Meadows. and Elijah Wood. with “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart appearing to deliver a final message from Paramount.
Before the music. Colbert told CBS viewers that the show would not try to turn the goodbye into something overly ceremonial. “We like to think every episode of ‘The Late Show’ is kind of special. and we thought the best way to celebrate what we’ve done over the last 11 years is just do a regular episode where I come out here and talk about the national conversation. ” he said.
To close the night, Colbert was joined by Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste, and Paul McCartney for a quartet performance of Costello’s 1977 hit “Jump Up,” before moving into The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye.”
The “Morning Joe” discussion didn’t land on one answer—only a mounting sense that late night’s remaining hosts are being watched just as closely as the one who just left the stage.
Morning Joe Stephen Colbert The Late Show Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Kimmel Seth Meyers Willie Geist Jon Meacham Donald Trump Paul McCartney Elvis Costello Jon Stewart Late night hosts Jump Up