Marked by relentless attacks on President , left-wing talking points and celebrities kissing his ring, Stephen Colbert’s final year with CBS comes to a close when the curtain falls on his show on Thursday night.
Colbert has been the face of “The Late Show” ever since his predecessor, David Letterman, stepped down in 2015. The transformed CBS’ long-running late-night show into #Resistance television, dedicating monologue after monologue to attacking Trump while elevating Democrats and boosting their agenda.
Colbert launched a yearlong farewell journey after CBS announced in July 2025 that it had canceled “The Late Show.” In July, Colbert declared, “For the next 10 months, .”
After over the cancellation, Colbert quipped casually, “Go f— yourself” on the show.
Colbert has not held back when it comes to attacking the Trump administration, and the show has been littered with guests who share his ideology. MS NOW hosts Jen Psaki, Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow and CNN anchors Jake Tapper, Kaitlan Collins and Anderson Cooper have appeared on the show, while other liberal late-night hosts such as , John Oliver and Seth Meyers have also visited the “Late Show.”
Former President  laughed earlier this month as he slighted Trump on the show, suggesting that Colbert himself would make a better president.Â
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Jon Ossoff, Sen. Mark Kelly, former Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Adam Schiff, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Rep. Jim Clyburn, Rep. Ruben Gallego, former Secretary John Kerry, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, former first lady and Biden-era press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre all paid their respects as the “Late Show” often served as a revolving door for the Democratic Party’s leadership as Colbert prepared to sign off.Â
Far-left actors Mark Ruffalo and Jane Fonda were among the Hollywood elites who also stopped by during Colberts final months on air to fawn over him. Bette Midler even serenaded Colbert with a parody of her famous song, “Wind Beneath My Wings,” attacking Trump and urging the audience to sing, “You never kissed the orange a–.”
Hollywood trade publication Variety even noted that the final months of the show have been largely spent fluffing Colbert.Â
“What has ended up making it to air has been an increasingly puffy tribute to the shows own host. The endless bouquets being tossed Colberts way have started to ,” Variety correspondent Daniel DAddario wrote.Â
“The shows focus on its own hosts misfortune has become outsized and a bit dramatic, especially because so many other institutions are in crisis,” DAddario continued. “With everything else going on in the world, we have to go through a monthslong celebration-of-life for a comedian whose job is coming to an end?”Â
In February, Colbert made waves when he alleged an interview with Democratic Senate candidate due to equal time constraints. Instead of airing the Talarico sit-down on television, it was posted to the programs YouTube channel. Many suggested that Colbert essentially drummed up publicity to help Talarico defeat his firebrand opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, in a primary because he would be more palatable in a general election.Â
CBS denied Colberts claim, and The New York Times eventually reported that Talarico knew the interview would only air online well in advance. FCC Chair , “You had a Democrat candidate who understood the way that the news media works, and he took advantage of all your sort of prior conceptions to run a hoax, apparently for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks.”
When Colbert and his guests werent mocking Trump, they were typically criticizing CBS for pulling the plug on the show. Colberts beef with CBS started before his show was canceled, as he fumed that then-CBS parent company Paramount with Trump for at l
