Television host Stephen Colbert bid an emotional farewell to viewers on Thursday (IST), bringing his 11-year run on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to a close.

His final show, broadcast on CBS, was attended by a lineup of eminent celebrities, including Paul McCartney, Paul Rudd, Bryan Cranston and Ryan Reynolds.

Prominent hosts in the American late-night television landscape, Jon Oliver, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon, also joined Colbert for a comic gig.

The show blended comedy standups, satire and heartfelt tributes to an over a decade journey, with Colbert also taking subtle jabs at CBS over the show’s cancellation.

Music played a major role in the final episode. Veteran artist Sir Paul McCartney appeared as Colbert’s final guest and gifted him a framed photo of The Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 at the same theatre where The Late Show is filmed.

The episode ended with a group singalong of the classic Beatles chartbuster Hello, Goodbye, featuring McCartney, Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste and Colbert himself.

During his farewell speech, Colbert thanked his staff, band and viewers for supporting the show over the years, saying he always hoped to leave audiences “feeling better” at the end of the day.

Despite being an award-winning program, in July 2025, CBS cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, citing financial losses resulting from the traditional late-night television model.