Stephen Colbert’s wormhole farewell caps Late Show era

Stephen Colbert officially bid goodbye to The Late Show with a wormhole sketch, a final wave from talk-show rivals, and Paul McCartney’s last on-stage interview—months after he announced the show’s cancellation and questioned the business story behind it.

Stephen Colbert didn’t just walk off the set after more than 10 years as host of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert—he joked about being swallowed by a wormhole.

It was Thursday, May 21, as the CBS late-night series headed into its series finale. In one sketch. Colbert was backstage when he ran into the kind of surreal danger that only he could frame as a punchline: a worm hole “ready to suck him away.” Colbert. 62. played the moment with his trademark timing. saying. “I didn’t think my show would end like this.”.

The sketch escalated with a final farewell from other talk-show hosts. Colbert was approached by John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon for the end-of-era sendoff. When Colbert asked why they weren’t all being pulled into the wormhole too. Kimmel leaned into his own history. quipping. “You know what?. Actually, one of these holes opened at my show last year, but it went away after about three days.”.

Colbert carried the joke to the closing beats of the bit, telling the wormhole—and himself—what the moment meant. “Now it looks like it’s the end, and I wish it wasn’t, but that’s not for me to decide.”

The humor kept arriving in other parts of the finale as well. Colbert joked about starting an OnlyFans as his next career move, then asked the band to play expensive music that CBS would have to “fork out for.”

And then. right as the show brought its pop-culture gravity back into focus. Colbert looped the moment into a final celebrity interview. He enlisted Paul McCartney for the last on-stage conversation among a handful of star cameos. McCartney. 83. was joined across the episode by Bryan Cranston. Paul Rudd. Tim Meadows. Tig Notaro. Ryan Reynolds. Elijah Wood and Andy Cohen.

Earlier in the episode. Colbert set the scene by reflecting on the history tied to the show’s filming location. the Ed Sullivan Theater. “There is so much history here in the Ed Sullivan Theater. and we’ve been honored to have been just a small part of it. Nichols and May played on the stage, The Beatles made their American debut here,” he said in the opening monologue.

He couldn’t resist the backstage punchline that made it feel like the show’s farewell had to be funny even as it landed. “And this is true. This is true. Backstage, Elvis used the bathroom and didn’t die.”

When it was time for McCartney to speak, the memories hit with a specific kind of warmth. He recalled stepping inside the theater in 1964 with The Beatles. describing them then as “young kids” and “sort of full of ourselves.” McCartney said. “Mr. Sullivan was really nice. He was a really cool guy. ” adding that they “never been to America” and had been told it was “like the biggest show.” He also said. “we’d never heard him. you know. in England. ” before concluding. “But yeah. so it was fantastic.”.

During the interview, Colbert quoted lyrics from a new McCartney song titled “Days We Left Behind,” including the lines, “Nothing stays the same/ No one needs to cry.” Colbert seemed to echo the show’s closing theme when he said, “I’ve been thinking about change lately.”

McCartney ended the broadcast by performing “Hello, Goodbye,” the Beatles’ classic from the 1960s.

The finale didn’t come out of nowhere. During Colbert’s final month at The Late Show. he welcomed a parade of high-profile guests. including his Late Show predecessor. David Letterman. and President Barack Obama. Earlier this week. Colbert was joined by Jon Stewart. Bruce Springsteen. Steven Spielberg and David Byrne as he prepared to conclude the series.

Colbert’s rise to the desk also framed why this finale felt so steeped in continuity. He took over as host in September 2015 after Letterman, 79, retired following a 22-season run from August 1993 to May 2015. Colbert then helmed the Emmy-winning show for 11 seasons.

Behind the on-screen farewell, the off-screen story had been louder than most people wanted it to be. Colbert announced The Late Show’s cancellation in July 2025. When the studio audience reacted with boos. he responded. “I share your feelings.” He also said. “I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners. ” and added that he was “grateful to the audience. you. who have joined us every night. in here. out there and all around the world.”.

He thanked his crew afterward, saying, “We get to do this show for each other every day all day,” and he noted that he wished “somebody else” could replace him after his exit.

CBS executives. when addressing the cancellation. claimed it was purely a “financial” decision and not “related in any way to the show’s performance. content or other matters happening at Paramount.” The move followed Paramount Global settling a lawsuit with President Donald Trump ahead of Skydance Media’s acquisition of the company—something Colbert criticized on the air.

In an April interview with The New York Times. Colbert said. “I do not dispute their rationale [that it was for financial reasons]. ” and added. “I do make jokes about it.” He went further. saying he understood why people might see the situation differently: “Because the network did it to themselves by bending the knee to the Trump administration over a $20 billion. settled for $16 million. completely frivolous lawsuit.”.

Colbert has not publicly shared what he plans to do next after The Late Show ends. but he has said he will be stepping back from the news cycle at least temporarily. In November 2025. he told GQ. “I love what we do and I love the grind.” He continued. “You can only do one of these shows. do the jokes every night. year after year for 20 years. if you give a damn at all about what you’re talking about. And I do.”.

He also described a kind of relief that felt different from nostalgia. “But there is a sense of relief that I might not have to put on the snorkel and get into the sewer every day.” He added. “I know who I am without this. … I was married with all my children before I was Stephen Colbert, that anybody would know. And my identity is associated with that. And the family I grew up with and my faith.”.

When Colbert’s show disappears, Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen will take over its time slot on CBS.

The finale on May 21 may have ended with a wormhole gag and a Beatles sendoff. but the message landing beneath the jokes was clear: Colbert’s last night wasn’t just about leaving a desk. It was about marking an era that—like the show itself—could keep cracking jokes right up until the lights came down.

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