Stephen Colbert made a surprise return to television just 24 hours after ending The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Hours after his final episode at the Ed Sullivan Theater, Colbert appeared as a guest host on Only in Monroe, a public access program based in Monroe, Mich.
Explaining his appearance at the start of the episode, Colbert said, “Since I was last here in Monroe, Michigan, I spent 11 years as the primary host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, which came to an end last night. It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV, so I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount.”
He also joked about the reach of public access television. “Viewers outside the greater Monroe area are able to view Monroe Community Media thanks to something known as streaming, which I promised not to learn about while I was on CBS,” he quipped. “And evidently, CBS also decided not to learn about it.”
He hinted at the return
Colbert hinted at the appearance during his final Late Show monologue on Thursday, May 21.
“Technically, our first show back in July of 2015 was from a public access station in Monroe, Michigan, for an audience of 12 people,” he said. “And show business being what it is these days, it’s probably where you’ll see me next.”
The appearance marked Colbert’s second time hosting Only in Monroe. He previously appeared on the show in 2015 before succeeding David Letterman on CBS. The two appearances — one before his CBS run and one immediately after it ended — gave the moment a full-circle feel.
What happened in the Only in Monroe episode?
The hour-long broadcast featured several celebrity appearances. Jack White appeared as the episode’s deadpan DJ, Steve Buscemi delivered a mock public service announcement for Buscemi’s Pizza, Jeff Daniels prepared Colbert his famous sandwich, and Eminem appeared as the “fire marshal” approving the cast’s decision to burn the remains of the studio set at the end of the show.
The public access series is hosted by Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson. The hosts joined Colbert in drinking shots of Cain & Grain whiskey from River Raisin Distillery in Manchester.
Why did The Late Show end?
The top-rated late-night show reportedly learned of its cancelation last summer, shortly after Paramount settled a lawsuit with President Donald Trump over edits to a 60 Minutes interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
In a monologue, Colbert called the settlement “a big fat bribe,” referencing Paramount’s pending merger with Skydance Media, which required approval from the Trump administration.
Paramount Global said the cancelation was “purely a financial decision,” citing challenges in the late-night television market and insisting it was unrelated to ratings, content or “other matters happening at Paramount.”
The move nevertheless sparked backlash, with critics accusing the company of attempting to appease the Trump administration during the Paramount-Skydance merger, which has since been completed.
Colbert has repeatedly rejected claims he was “fired,” noting CBS decided to end the franchise rather than replace him. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said he “did not expect it to end this way,” though he likely would have handled the final episodes similarly regardless of timing.
He joked that if he had ended the show himself, “I’m the bad guy,” adding that CBS’ decision allowed him to approach the finale with humor rather than sentimentality.
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