Paul McCartney Turns Out the Lights as Colbert's Late Show Comes to an End

Stephen Colbert closed The Late Show with a finale featuring Paul McCartney, including a performance of the Beatles hit “Hello Goodbye.” Colbert opened the extended broadcast with a heartfelt monologue delivered live for viewers at home, calling the show “The Joy Machine” and thanking the audience for a shared emotional connection. The farewell arrived after CBS announced the show would end, framed as a financial decision amid broader industry and political context. The program avoided direct rehashing of controversy but repeatedly referenced it through comedy, including a segment where late-night hosts joked about a black hole threatening late-night television. The night also included celebrity cameos and a final guest reveal tied to the Ed Sullivan Theater’s legacy.

"Stephen Colbert closed the curtain on The Late Show Thursday night by performing alongside music legend Paul McCartney and singing the Beatles hit Hello Goodbye to round off a finale built around nostalgia, celebrity tributes, and a pointed undercurrent about CBS's decision to end the show."

"After more than a decade, Colbert opened the extended show with a poignant monologue, usually reserved for in-studio audience members only, but one that he ran live for viewers at home. This show, I want you to know and you to know [pointing down camera], has been a joy for us to do for you, he said. In fact, we call this show The Joy Machine."

"The finale arrived 10 months after CBS announced it would cancel The Late Show, insisting the move was purely a financial decision despite speculation surrounding the timing, which came after Colbert criticized Paramount Global's $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump while chasing federal approval for a merger. Colbert did not directly revisit the controversy in his farewell, though the show repeatedly nodded to it through jokes and sketches."

"In one pre-taped segment, fellow late-night hosts Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver joked about a black hole threatening late-night television. Actually, one of these holes opened at my show last year, but it went away after about three days, Kimmel joked. The night also featured cameo appearances from Bryan Cranston, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, and Tig Notaro, all pretending to compete for the honor of being Colbert's final guest."

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