{"id":2427250,"date":"2026-05-21T23:34:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2427250"},"modified":"2026-05-21T23:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:34:28","slug":"how-to-watch-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-series-finale-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/how-to-watch-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-series-finale-for-free\/","title":{"rendered":"How to watch &#8216;The Late Show with Stephen Colbert&#8217; series finale for free"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F05%2Fnewspress-collage-r8ilw0acu-1779395937224.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261779381564\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"commerce-disclosure\">\n\t\tcelebrity.land may be compensated and\/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.<br \/>\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s the end of a late night era.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert\u201d will air its final episode tonight. Though \u201cThe Late Show\u201d dates back to 1993, Colbert has been the host since 2015, when he took over for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/06\/media\/david-letterman-blasts-cbs-over-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-cancellation\/\">original host David Letterman<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>CBS <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/07\/17\/entertainment\/late-show-with-stephen-colbert-canceled-by-cbs\/\">announced<\/a> \u201cThe Late Show\u201ds cancellation in July 2025, stating it was \u201cpurely a financial decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire \u2018The Late Show\u2019 franchise in May of 2026,\u201d CBS executives\u2019 statement read. \u201cWe are proud that Stephen called <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/15\/media\/david-letterman-and-stephen-colbert-trash-cbs-furniture-in-rooftop-revenge-stunt\/\">CBS<\/a> home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"product-spotlight product-spotlight-block wp-block-nypost-editor-product-spotlight\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t&#8216;the late show&#8217; finale: what to know\t\t<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>When:<\/strong> May 21, <strong>11:35 p.m. ET<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Channel:<\/strong> CBS<\/li>\n<li><strong>Streaming:<\/strong> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-nyp-link-source=\"trackonomics\" data-nyp-affiliate=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/nypost_01638_nypost?p=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2026%2F05%2F21%2Fentertainment%2Fhow-to-watch-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-series-finale-for-free%2F&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dpbolvw.net%2Fclick-100223664-15242095%3Fsid%3Dpremiumexplainerq4&amp;author=Angela%20Tricarico&amp;articleID=39450165&amp;event_type=click&amp;publishdate=may%2021%2C%202026&amp;linksource=web&amp;primarytag=late-show-with-stephen-colbert&amp;contentsection=entertainment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">DIRECTV<\/a> (try it free)<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The final weeks of \u201cThe Late Show\u201d has featured star-studded lineups, including Oprah Winfrey, Letterman, former president Barack Obama, \u201cDaily Show\u201d host Jon Stewart, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/05\/21\/us-news\/bruce-springsteen-jabs-trump-paramount-on-stephen-colberts-second-to-last-late-show\/\">and Bruce Springsteen<\/a>. Colbert also welcomed four current late-night hosts \u2014 Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver  \u2014 to the Ed Sullivan Theater as the show entered its last two weeks. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is the last \u2018Late Show with Stephen Colbert\u2019?<\/h2>\n<p>The series finale of \u201cThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert\u201d is tonight, May 21, at <strong>11:35 p.m. ET<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to watch \u2018The Late Show with Stephen Colbert\u2019 series finale for free<\/h2>\n<p>If you don\u2019t have cable, you\u2019ll need a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/article\/best-live-tv-streaming-services\/\">live TV streaming service<\/a> to watch Colbert\u2019s final show for free<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-nyp-link-source=\"trackonomics\" data-nyp-affiliate=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/nypost_01638_nypost?p=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2026%2F05%2F21%2Fentertainment%2Fhow-to-watch-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-series-finale-for-free%2F&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dpbolvw.net%2Fclick-100223664-15242095%3Fsid%3Dpremiumexplainerq4&amp;author=Angela%20Tricarico&amp;articleID=39450165&amp;event_type=click&amp;publishdate=may%2021%2C%202026&amp;linksource=web&amp;primarytag=late-show-with-stephen-colbert&amp;contentsection=entertainment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">DIRECTV<\/a> is our favorite service for watching live television for free \u2014 and its five-day free trial includes CBS among 90+ live channels. When the trial is over, you\u2019ll pay as low as $59.99\/month for one of DIRECTV\u2019s premium streaming packages. <\/p>\n<p>You can also watch \u201cThe Late Show\u201d live on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-aps-asc-tag=\"nypost-20\" data-aps-asin=\"\" data-wrapped-template=\"https:\/\/r.nypostlink.com?btn_ref=org-19984c113c692001&amp;btn_url\" href=\"https:\/\/r.nypostlink.com?btn_ref=org-19984c113c692001&amp;btn_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fvideo%2Fsignup%3FbenefitId%3Dcbsaacf%26tag%3Dnypost-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2026%2F05%2F21%2Fentertainment%2Fhow-to-watch-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-series-finale-for-free%2F%26asc_source%3Dweb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-nyp-affiliate=\"true\">Paramount+ with the Premium Plan<\/a>, which costs $13.99\/month after a seven-day free trial that you can only take advantage of if you subscribe via Prime Video.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who are the guests on the final episode of \u2018The Late Show with Stephen Colbert\u2019?<\/h2>\n<p>Both CBS and Colbert have stayed quiet regarding \u201cThe Late Show\u201ds final guests and no announcement has been made ahead of the broadcast. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n<p><strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/why-trust-post-wanted-by-new-york-post\/\">Why Trust Post Wanted by the celebrity.land<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This article was written by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/author\/angela-tricarico\/\">Angela Tricarico<\/a>, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/author\/angela-tricarico\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Page Six<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/author\/angela-tricarico\/\">Decider.com<\/a>. Angela keeps readers up to date with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/article\/hulu-netflix-disney-plus-best-streaming-deals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cord-cutter-friendly deals<\/a>, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she\u2019s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she\u2019s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she\u2019s also keeping up on the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/shopping\/bath-and-body-works-perfume-dupes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">underrated perfume dupes at Bath &amp; Body Works<\/a> and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The celebrity.land in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>celebrity.land may be compensated and\/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. It\u2019s the end of a late night era. \u201cThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert\u201d will air its final episode tonight. Though \u201cThe Late Show\u201d dates back to 1993, Colbert has been the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2427251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[22405,21741,226985,368211,22653,23808,21913],"class_list":["post-2427250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-cbs","tag-entertainment","tag-how-to-watch","tag-late-show-with-stephen-colbert","tag-stephen-colbert","tag-streaming","tag-tv"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/How-to-watch-The-Late-Show-with-Stephen-Colbert-series.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2427250"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2427252,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2427250\/revisions\/2427252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2427251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2427250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2427250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2427250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}