Stephen Colbert final show May 21

Stephen Colbert signed off from “The Late Show” on Thursday, May 21, ending his 11-year run and the broader franchise’s 33-year stretch on CBS. The finale from the Ed Sullivan Theater included surprise cameos, a final interview with Paul McCartney and one last “Meanwhile” segment. (cbsnews.com) During that segment, Colbert had Louis Cato and the band play the familiar “Peanuts” theme after warning that people using it without permission could face lawsuits. “Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money!,” Colbert said on air. (rollingstone.com) ### What exactly did Colbert do in the finale? In the “Meanwhile” segment, Colbert set up the joke by saying the owner of music from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and other “Peanuts” specials had filed lawsuits against people using the song illegally, according to Rolling Stone’s recap of the broadcast. (youtube.com) He then turned to bandleader Louis Cato as the band played the Vince Guaraldi music. “Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money!,” Colbert said. The official “Late Show” YouTube playlist for the May 21 series finale includes a clip titled “Meanwhile... Make Your Own Booze | Paying For ‘Peanuts’ | Vintage Pharma Swag,” showing CBS and the show’s production team packaged the segment as a standalone post after the broadcast. (cbsnews.com) The clip had 122,000 views on YouTube when the playlist snapshot was indexed. ### Why was the line about CBS notable? Rolling Stone said Colbert’s joke landed as a swipe at his “former bosses at CBS,” and noted the show had been canceled in July 2025. The outlet also said CBS and parent company Paramount had settled a $16 million lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump before the cancellation, while CBS had described the decision to end the show as “purely a financial decision.” (rollingstone.com) CBS News’ account of the finale did not dwell on the copyright bit, but it described a farewell built around Colbert’s gratitude and the show’s history at the Ed Sullivan Theater. (youtube.com) Colbert told viewers, “We were lucky enough to be here for the last 11 years,” and said the staff had been “honored” to be a small part of that history. ### What else happened on the final episode? CBS News reported that the final show ran 17 minutes longer than its usual hour and included appearances by Jon Stewart, Tig Notaro, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, Bryan Cranston, Don Cheadle and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver also appeared. (rollingstone.com) Paul McCartney was the final guest, CBS News said, and Elvis Costello and Jon Batiste joined the finale’s musical sendoff. Batiste, the show’s former bandleader, returned to the Ed Sullivan Theater as a musical guest. (cbsnews.com) ### Where can viewers find the segment now? YouTube carried the most visible official reposts on May 22, with the show’s finale playlist broken into separate clips including the opening message, Colbert’s final monologue, the “Meanwhile” segment and the closing musical performance. The playlist identifies the finale as Episode #1810. (cbsnews.com) CBS News also published its own recap on May 22, framing the episode as the end of the “Late Show” franchise after 33 years. That report said Colbert’s farewell came after more than 1,800 episodes over 11 years as host. (cbsnews.com) ### What comes next after the finale? May 22 posts from CBS and the show’s YouTube channel are the immediate next public record of the finale, including the standalone “Meanwhile” upload and the full series-finale playlist. CBS News said the May 21 broadcast closed the franchise after 33 years, making those posted clips the main remaining official access points for viewers looking for the segment and the rest of Colbert’s last show. (youtube.com) (cbsnews.com)