Colbert Ends ‘Late Show,’ Returns on Michigan Public Access

Stephen Colbert signed off from “The Late Show” after 11 years on Thursday with a whimsical finale featuring Paul McCartney, a giant wormhole, and a record-setting 6.74 million viewers. But just 23 hours later, he was back on television — not on a major network, but on Monroe Community Media’s public access show “Only in Monroe” in Monroe, Michigan, alongside rocker Jack White, actor Jeff Daniels, and surprise appearances from Steve Buscemi and Eminem.

The Finale

The final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” aired May 21 from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, where the late-night franchise had been taped for nearly 33 years — first with David Letterman (1993-2015), then with Colbert. The show ended with Colbert and McCartney singing “Hello, Goodbye” together before visual effects swallowed the entire theater into a giant green interdimensional wormhole that resembled the CBS logo, as NPR reported.

Joining Colbert for his final bow were fellow late-night hosts John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel — collectively known as “Strike Force Five” — as well as Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Ryan Reynolds, and his mentor Jon Stewart. Stewart told Colbert: “The only choice you have is how to walk through it. You can go in kicking and screaming. Or you can do what you’ve done for the past 30 years when faced with something dark: you stare it down and you can laugh.”

A Controversial Cancellation

CBS announced the cancellation in July 2025, calling it “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” But the timing raised questions: Days earlier, Colbert had publicly criticized Paramount Global — CBS’s parent company — for settling a $16 million lawsuit with President Donald Trump, calling it “a big fat bribe.” The settlement coincided with Paramount seeking FCC approval for its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff called for investigations into whether the cancellation was politically motivated. Bruce Springsteen, appearing on the second-to-last episode, told Colbert: “You’re the first guy in America who lost his job because the president can’t take a joke.”

The Surprise Return

On Friday night, just 23 hours after signing off, Colbert resurfaced as guest host of “Only in Monroe” on Monroe Community Media — the same public access show he had hosted in July 2015 as a test run before taking over “The Late Show.” As AP News reported, Colbert opened the show by saying: “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.”

Jack White served as “volunteer music director,” and Jeff Daniels appeared for a cooking segment. Steve Buscemi contributed a recorded bit for “Buscemi’s Pizza” in Monroe, and Eminem — who had also appeared on Colbert’s 2015 “Only in Monroe” episode — joined via FaceTime as “fire marshal” to approve setting fire to the set remnants. The episode, as The Hollywood Reporter noted, closed with Colbert, White, and Daniels dismantling the set and hauling it to a dumpster.

Full Circle

Colbert had presciently predicted the return during his finale monologue. “Technically our first show in July of 2015 was from a public-access station in Monroe, Michigan, for an audience of 12 people,” he told the audience. “Show business being what it is these days, that’s probably where you’ll see me next.” As Rolling Stone described, Colbert closed the community access episode by saying: “Until we see each other again, I’ll be only here, only on Only in Monroe.”

What’s Next

CBS is replacing “The Late Show” with “Comics Unleashed,” hosted by Byron Allen — the new BuzzFeed owner and CEO — who appeared via FaceTime on Colbert’s community access show. Allen’s program will be apolitical. The “Late Show” set is being donated to the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, where Colbert began his career with The Second City.

Colbert, meanwhile, is co-writing a script for an upcoming “Lord of the Rings” movie with his son Peter McGee and has started a new TikTok account. His return to public access — a deliberate full-circle moment — underscores a broader truth: Colbert’s comedic voice, as David Letterman told him, may have lost its network home, but it remains very much intact.