Stephen Colbert's final episode of The Late Show airs May 21, ending an 11-year run on CBS that produced nearly 1,800 episodes and a steady stream of politically charged music parodies that became a signature element of the show. According to Billboard, CBS confirmed in July 2025 that it was ending the franchise, citing financial constraints and declining ad revenue.
Colbert took over the show from David Letterman, who ended his own run on May 20, 2015. During his tenure, Colbert became known for targeting the Trump administration with particular consistency, giving the president nicknames including "Tangerine Palpatine" and "Mar-a-Lardo" in nightly monologues. The show drew repeated criticism from President Trump, though the FCC did not take action against Colbert in the same way it challenged fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
Among the elements fans are expected to remember most are the show's song parodies, short comedic pieces that frequently opened broadcasts and riffed on current headlines. One recent example, "They Not Pious," was a parody of Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss track "Not Like Us," rewritten in response to exchanges between Pope Leo XIV and President Trump. The piece featured a faux Pope Leo rapping, "Hey, peppers on my beef, yo/ Leo/ Here to defend my papacy, bro/ You got JD/ I got JC, though/ You keep Rubio/ I ride around with the holy trio/ I'm up in the Vatican/ You're still in denial/ I'm the Holy See/ You're the holy senile/ How many mentions of you in the Epstein files?/ Certified bestie with that certified pedophile."
Other notable musical moments from the show's run cited by Billboard include "ICE ICE Baby," an anti-immigration policy parody, and "Number One Triller," described as a Lord of the Rings tribute. The show also featured a number of original songs from the production team.
Colbert's interview segments also drew notice over the years. His most frequent guest was astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Last August, Colbert and actor Josh Brolin engaged in an unplanned back-and-forth recitation from Act 3 of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar during an on-air interview.
Colbert has made his own views on the cancellation clear, expressing skepticism about the financial explanation and pointing to what he described as the Trump administration's efforts to restrain criticism. The May 21 finale closes the CBS late-night franchise that Letterman originally built over decades.
