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Thursday, May 21, 2026

Final Late Show to Run 79 Mins / Tributes Roll In / Colbert Answers Questionert

LateNighter

Thursday May 21, 2026

Colbert’s Late Show Finale to Run 17 Minutes Over (Exclusive)

Stephen Colbert
Thursday’s series finale is scheduled to end at 12:54 a.m., a full 17 minutes past the show’s usual 12:37 a.m. end time.

Colbert’s Exit Casts a Shadow Over Late Night’s Most Famous Stage

Stephen Colbert, David Letterman
Bill Carter writes: 33 years after Letterman’s arrival turned Broadway into a late-night block party, Colbert’s exit from the Ed Sullivan Theater is shaping up as a far more bitter farewell.

'F*ck You CBS and Trump' Scrawled Outside Ed Sullivan Theater Ahead of Finale

Late Show CBS Trump Chalk Message
Choice words for both CBS and Trump were scrawled in chalk outside The Ed Sullivan Theater ahead of tonight's Late Show with Stephen Colbert series finale.

Colbert Finale Day Tributes Pour In: 'A Huge Loss to Common Sense'

Stephen Colbert Tributes Late Show Finale
Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Triumph the Insult Comedy Dog are just a few of those paying tribute to Colbert ahead of his farewell tonight.

Stephen Colbert Finally Took 'The Colbert Questionert': Here Are His Answers

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guests John Dickerson, Mark Hamill, Jim Gaffigan, Jeff Daniels, Tiffany Haddish, Evie Colbert, Amy Sedaris, Ben Stiller, Aubrey Plaza, James Taylor, Robert De Niro during Wednesday’s May 20, 2026 show.
Stephen Colbert is now officially “fully known.” Here are all of his answers to The Late Show’s "Colbert Questionert."

Springsteen Assails Trump, Ellisons in Late Show Performance

Springsteen Rips Trump, Ellisons in Late Show Performance
Bruce Springsteen dedicated “Streets of Minneapolis” to Stephen Colbert on his penultimate Late Show, saying Colbert lost his show because Trump “can’t take a joke.”

Kimmel to Viewers: 'Don't Ever Watch CBS Again' After Colbert's Finale

Jimmy Kimmel Repeat Late Show Finale
Jimmy Kimmel urged ABC viewers to catch The Late Show series finale on Thursday night: "Tune in to CBS, for the last time. Don’t ever watch it again."

Colbert Presents $2.5M Check to JosΓ© AndrΓ©s's World Central Kitchen

Late Show Auction Total World Central Kitchen
The "Late Show Home Shopping" charity auction left Chef JosΓ© AndrΓ©s's World Central Kitchen well-stocked via a check for $2,497,404.

Fallon Sends On-Air Well-Wishes to Colbert Ahead of Final Late Show

Jimmy Fallon desk
Jimmy Fallon closed Wednesday’s Tonight Show with a message for Stephen Colbert, whose final Late Show airs Thursday night.

Seth Meyers Says He’s ‘Heartbroken’ Over Colbert’s Late Show Finale

Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers isn't on this week to offer his own on-air goodbye to Stephen Colbert, but the Late Night host is weighing in from afar.

Stephen Colbert’s Invisible Props Dept Was a Callback to His Improv Roots

Stephen Colbert
Ask anyone who works in improv and they'll tell you: Stephen Colbert is master of "object work"—and bits of that mastery were on display nearly every night on The Late Show. Mike Thomas explains.

Colbert’s Public-Access TV Tryout Set the Tone Early for His Late Show

Stephen Colbert Only in Monroe
If Stephen Colbert finds himself missing TV after The Late Show, the public-access show that helped introduce the real Colbert to late night viewers may have an opening.
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