Stephen Colbert bid farewell to the the Late Show after over a decade on the air – but not without an epic final guest.
Half way through the last-ever episode, the 62-year-old host unexpectedly welcomed Beatles legend Paul McCartney, 83, to the stage.
The moment proved historic as McCartney and his Beatles bandmates – John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison – famously made their first TV appearance in the United States at the Ed Sullivan Theatre, where Colbert is filmed, 62 years ago.
More than 73 million viewers tuned into the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 to catch The Beatles’s performance – which officially sparked ‘Beatlemania’ in the U.S.
Moments before McCartney’s surprise appearance on Thursday’s show, Colbert joked that Pope Leo was set to be his last guest but that he refused to leave his dressing room.
The scenario played out in a hilarious sketch with Colbert begging a fake Pope Leo to leave his dressing room before the imposter threw a Chicago-style hot dog in disgust.
Stephen Colbert bid farewell to the the Late Show after over a decade on the air – but not without an epic final guest appearance
Just minutes before the conclusion of his last-ever episode, the 62-year-old host welcomed Beatles legend Paul McCartney , 83, to the stage
‘The Pope – who was definitely my guest tonight – has canceled,’ Colbert exclaimed from behind his desk.
‘We already sent the other stars away,’ Colbert said, referring to cameos from Ryan Reynolds and other A-listers who stopped by the studio. ‘This is terrible.’
He then asked, ‘Who is going to be my last guest now?’
Then, from offstage, McCartney yelled out to Stephen and walked onto the stage.
‘Hey Stephen! What about me? I can do it,’ the musician said earnestly.
The shocked audience erupted in roaring applause and cheers as McCartney and Colbert embraced.
Colbert deemed McCartney his ‘perfect last guest’ as the rocker joked he was ‘just in the area’ and decided to stop by.
He then presented Colbert, who is a massive Beatles fan, with an incredible gift.
Pulling the present out from behind McCartney’s chair, Colbert revealed a framed, colorized photo of The Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show.
‘That’s here,’ Colbert remarked, referring to the Ed Sullivan Theatre.
The photo was signed by McCartney and included a personal message to Colbert.
‘”To Stephen, you’re better than the Beatles,”‘ Colbert read aloud as McCartney insisted that wasn’t what the note actually said.
Colbert has spent nearly 11 years at the helm of The Late Show, taking over as host in September 2015 from David Letterman.
The 79-year-old launched the late-night talk show in 1993 and retired after 22 years.
A number of celebrities have helped Colbert bring the show to a close this week, including Ryan Reynolds, Jon Stewart and Steven Spielberg.
The audience went wild for the music legend
The moment proved historic as McCartney and his Beatles bandmates – John Lennon , Ringo Starr and George Harrison – famously made their first TV appearance in the United States at the Ed Sullivan Theatre, where Colbert is filmed; seen in 1964
His rivals, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, will both air reruns on Thursday night out of respect for the departing star.
Colbert shockingly announced on July 17 that Paramount/CBS would not be renewing his contract after 11 years on the air, and they would end the late-night program.
At the time, the network claimed it was ‘purely a financial decision,’ but the cancellation came days after Colbert called Paramount/CBS’s $16 million lawsuit settlement with President Donald Trump ‘a big fat bribe.’
Paramount was also in the midst of a multibillion-dollar merger with the movie studio Skydance, which requires the government approval of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Immediately after the show ends, Colbert will be hosting a Fired and Festive wrap party for the Late Show.
Moments before McCartney’s surprise appearance, Colbert joked that Pope Leo was set to be his final guest but that he refused to leave his dressing room
The scenario played out in a hilarious sketch with Colbert begging a fake Pope Leo to leave his dressing room before the imposter threw a Chicago-style hot dog in disgust
As Colbert moaned that all his ‘stars’ had already left for the night, McCartney emerged from offstage and offered to be the host’s last guest
McCartney gifted Colbert a signed photo of The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964
