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\u201cWe have done over 1,800 of these shows, and most nights I come out here and I talk to the audience <\/span>beforehand, and tonight I thought I\u2019d talk to the audience in here and the audience out there at home. This show, I <\/span>want you to know \u2015 and [home viewers] to know \u2015 has been a joy for us to do for you,\u201d Colbert said. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
He went on to thank the show\u2019s staff for their dedication to the program and said he could not \u201cadequately explain\u201d what \u201cthe people who work here have done for each other and how much we mean to each other.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Harkening back to his Comedy Central program, \u201cThe Colbert Report,\u201d the late-night host noted that his job on that program was to \u201cfeel the news at you.\u201d But working on \u201cLate Night\u201d was different.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe were here to feel the news with you. And I don\u2019t know about you, but I sure have felt it,\u201d Colbert said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Seemingly resisting the sentimentality that a final show naturally produces, Colbert concluded his comments the same way he has for the last 11 years. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cHave a good show, thanks for being here, and let\u2019s do it, y\u2019all,\u201d Colbert said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Watch Colbert\u2019s full pre-show speech here: <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n