Stephen Colbert's Final Late Show Was a Joyful Act of Defiance

The final Late Show episode featured cheeky jokes, nerdy references, good music, and friendly faces, combining sincerity with lightheartedness. It began with a heartfelt personal introduction and a special message from past late-night hosts. Colbert then delivered topical monologue jokes about current events, including a hantavirus outbreak and a scandal involving a sexy priest calendar. During the monologue and a later Meanwhile segment, celebrity pop-ups appeared from the audience, including Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds, only to be told they were not the final guest. The final guest was intended to be the Pope, who refused to leave after insulting the hot dogs. Colbert instead interviewed Paul McCartney, recalling his 1964 appearance at the Ed Sullivan Theater and speaking in a conversational style.

"The episode technically began with a heartfelt personal introduction from Colbert, followed by a "special message" from past late show hosts going back to the early days of television. From there, Colbert tried to proceed like it was business as usual, filling his usual monologue with topical jokes about the recent hantavirus outbreak and a scandal involving a sexy priest calendar. It's funny to realize that jokes like "this guy's not a fan of little pricks... Peabody please!" are now a literal part of TV history."

"During the course of the monologue, as well as a later "Meanwhile" segment, Colbert was interrupted by that most classic of bits: the celebrity pop-up from the audience. Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds all showed up assuming they were going to be Colbert's final guest, and all were disappointed to find out the answer was no. Yelled Meadows as he stormed out: "You got what you deserve!""

"The joke was that Colbert's final guest was supposed to be the Pope, but "the Pope," insulted by the quality of hot dogs he'd been provided, declined to leave his dressing room. So Colbert had to settle for Paul McCartney, who came out for an extended interview with more than a bit of historical significance to it, since McCartney first came to the Ed Sullivan Theater on February 9th, 1964, as a member of a rock and roll band called The Beatles. McCartney's memories of playing on that very stage were reasonably sharp, and the full interview had a loose, conversational feel that spoke to Colbert's skills behind the desk."

Read at Consequence