Verified source report
Stephen Colbert’s Late Show finale was a bittersweet, star-packed goodbye
Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Bryan Cranston and Tig Notaro were among the guests to see off both host and talk show in an 80-minute finale Share your favorite memories from The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Series finales for late night shows are, by their nature, a little odd and also exceedingly rare; usually it’s the host’s final episode, and not the entire show’s, as franchises like The Tonight Show or Late Night continue on with someone new at the wheel. But CBS made the, ah, visionary decision to cancel the Late Show, the talkshow it created in 1993 as a new home for David Letterman after he failed to score the Tonight Show job over at NBC. In Letterman’s hands, and eventually Stephen Colbert’s, the show became an institution and the first real, sustained Tonight Show competitor in years. Indeed, the CBS Late Show leaves the air as the No 1 show in network TV late night, with t
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Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Bryan Cranston and Tig Notaro were among the guests to see off both host and talk show in an 80-minute finale Share your favorite memories from The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Series finales for late night shows are, by their nature, a little odd and also exceedingly rare; usually it’s the host’s final episode, and not the entire show’s, as franchises like The Tonight Show or Late Night continue on with someone new at the wheel. But CBS made the, ah, visionary decision to cancel the Late Show, the talkshow it created in 1993 as a new home for David Letterman after he failed to score the Tonight Show job over at NBC. In Letterman’s hands, and eventually Stephen Colbert’s, the show became an institution and the first real, sustained Tonight Show competitor in years. Indeed, the CBS Late Show leaves the air as the No 1 show in network TV late night, with t
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What happened
According to The Guardian’s source item, Stephen Colbert’s Late Show finale was a bittersweet, star-packed goodbye, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Bryan Cranston and Tig Notaro were among the guests to see off both host and talk show in an 80-minute finale Share your favorite memories from The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Series finales for late night shows are, by their nature, a little odd and also exceedingly rare; usually it’s the host’s final episode, and not the entire show’s, as franchises like The Tonight Show or Late Night continue on with someone new at the wheel. But CBS made the, ah, visionary decision to cancel the Late Show, the talkshow it created in 1993 as a new home for David Letterman after he failed to score the Tonight Show job over at NBC. In Letterman’s hands, and eventually Stephen Colbert’s, the show became an institution and the first real, sustained Tonight Show competitor in years. Indeed, the CBS Late Show leaves the air as the No 1 show in network TV late night, with t
Context
The development sits in VINI’s Global file for readers following international affairs, institutions, conflict, diplomacy, economics, and cross-border consequences. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-22T06:58:09+00:00.
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Source
Primary source: Stephen Colbert’s Late Show finale was a bittersweet, star-packed goodbye via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- Stephen Colbert’s Late Show finale was a bittersweet, star-packed goodbyeThe Guardian - 2026-05-22T06:58:09+00:00
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