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The Daily Show<\/em>‘s Jon Stewart joined Stephen Colbert on Tuesday’s episode of The Late Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Stewart and Colbert have been friends and colleagues for nearly 30 years, having first met when Stewart was about to take over as host of The Daily Show<\/em> in 1999.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Colbert’s final episode airs May 21.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Stephen Colbert<\/a> is going out with a bang.<\/p>\n In the weeks leading up to his forced departure from CBS\u2019s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert<\/em><\/a>, the host has 1) Given and\/or accepted from multiple guests goodbye<\/a>kisses<\/a>, 2) Sheepishly admitted which Late Show <\/em>interviewee he was \u201cwildly attracted to,\u201d<\/a> and 3) Even partaken in some \u201cwanton destruction of CBS property\u201d with David Letterman<\/a>.<\/p>\n In something of a full-circle moment on Tuesday, Colbert was joined by his old boss (not the <\/em><\/a>Boss<\/a>, that\u2019s Wednesday night) and very good friend, Jon Stewart<\/a>.<\/p>\n Colbert asked Stewart what it’s like to lose a late-night show.<\/p>\n “It’s the best!” Stewart said enthusiastically before his smile quickly faded away, leaving the audience laughing.<\/p>\n Stewart noted that final guest, before The Jon Stewart Show<\/em> on MTV ended in 1995, was Letterman, who told him, “‘Don’t confuse cancellation with failure.’ And I thought that was profound. But then, he said, ‘In this case, it is also a failure.'”<\/p>\n Stewart also brought Colbert a parting gift: a pair of electric-lift recliners that help you stand after a long TV binge.<\/p>\n “Oh, are you gonna enjoy watching Matlock<\/em> in this motherf—er!” Stewart told Colbert. Then he warned that they offered the kind of comfort that make you wonder if you’re going to have to use energy to get out of them.<\/p>\n “Stephen, get ready for the ride of your f—ing life,” Stewart said, before deciding his recliner gift wasn’t enough. “No, no, no. This tribute isn’t complete. Stephen. This tribute doesn’t represent the joy that you brought to me as my friend and the joy that you brought to this country, as one of its leading entertainers. No, what this moment needs is something so much more.”<\/p>\n Then he called out Grammy winner Andra Day, whom Colbert is a fan of. Day belted out her song “Rise Up,” while Colbert and Stewart held up their arms together as their chairs simultaneously lifted the two hosts to their feet.<\/p>\n Colbert and Stewart share a long history, having known each other for nearly 30 years. The pair first met in 1999, when Stewart was on deck to host The Daily Show<\/em><\/a>, where Colbert had been an anchor for two years under original host Craig Kilborn.<\/p>\n Colbert told <\/a>Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a> in 2015 about the pair\u2019s very first meeting, at a press conference announcing that Stewart would become the show\u2019s new host, and The Daily Show <\/em>would therefore become The Daily Show With Jon Stewart<\/em>.<\/p>\n Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with\u00a0our\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSo, I heard that there was going to be a press conference that day announcing that Jon was going to be the host,\u201d Colbert told EW. \u201cAnd I said, \u2018Well, wouldn\u2019t The Daily Show<\/em> cover something like this?\u2019 So I left the offices and went over to Comedy Central, and I stood up and said, \u2018Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show<\/em>. In what way does this announcement affect my chances of becoming host of The Daily Show<\/em>?\u2019 Jon Stewart turned to the president of the network and said, \u2018You told me he wasn\u2019t funny.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Colbert remained a Daily Show<\/em> anchor for six more years, honing his satirical Bill O\u2019Reilly-esque persona alongside Stewart\u2019s straight man, as the show became increasingly political.<\/p>\n When Colbert left in 2005, he didn\u2019t go far: He spun off his Daily Show<\/em> character for his own Comedy Central series, The Colbert Report<\/em><\/a>, where he’d stay until 2014. The following year, he debuted as host on The Late Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n Colbert and Stewart on ‘The Daily Show’ in 2004 CBS announced<\/a> the decision to cancel The Late Show <\/em>in July 2025 after Colbert criticized parent company Paramount for settling a $16 million lawsuit with Donald Trump<\/a>. The president had sued the company over a 2024 interview with then-presidential opponent Kamala Harris on CBS\u2019s 60 Minutes<\/em>, claiming the interview had been deceptively edited to benefit her campaign. At the time of the settlement, Paramount was preparing for a merger with Skydance Media, which required approval from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n On July 14\u2019s show, Colbert called the settlement a \u201cbig fat bribe.\u201d<\/a> Three days later, he announced that CBS was canceling the show “for financial reasons,” according to the network.<\/p>\n
Credit: Comedy Central<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n