Stephen Colbert delivered his final “Late Show” monologue, sticking to business as usual as his famous friends vied to be his last guest.
“Now, at first, when we knew this was going to be our last night, we were planning on doing a huge special this evening, but the thing is, we like to think every episode of ‘The Late Show’ is kind of special,” Colbert said. “And we thought the best way to celebrate what we’ve done over the last 11 years is just do a regular episode where I come out here and talk about the national conversation, and undeniably today the big story that everyone is talking about -“
At this moment, Colbert was interrupted by Bryan Cranston, donning a “Late Show” baseball cap, where he pitched “a surprise celebrity cameo popping up out of nowhere.” Colbert shut this idea down, stating, “No, Bryan, those always feel kind of forced.”
When Cranston suggested that he step in as Colbert’s last guest, the late night host responded, “That would be great, Brian. The thing is, we already have a pretty special one lined up.”
The “Breaking Bad” alum jokingly expressed outrage over this update, declaring, “What the hell am I here for? You know what, you can keep your stupid hat. I’m gonna go sell my ticket.”
Colbert then went on, business as usual for his monologue, where he tackled NYC sinkholes, hantavirus, Rome’s sexy priest calendar and more. He was then interrupted again, this time by Paul Rudd, who asked Colbert when their interview was set to begin.
“Paul, just to be clear, you’re not my last guest,” Colbert said, leaving Rudd visibly disappointed. Tim Meadows also joined in on the bit, “Listen, Stephen’s a great guy. If he says you’re not his last guest, you just got to accept it.”
He then said to Colbert: “I was just explaining to Paul Rudd that, you know, for your last guest, you wanted someone you go back with, so we could talk about the good old days when you and I were doing Second City together.”
Yet, Colbert had to inform his longtime friend that “it’s not you either.”
As for who the final guest is? That currently remains unclear, but is sure to reveal itself soon.
In January, CBS locked in the final air date for “The Late Show,” which was set for Thursday, May 21. The decision followed CBS’ announcement last summer, in which they shared that “The Late Show” would be coming to an end shortly after Colbert mocked Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, blasting the move as a “big fat bribe.”
However, CBS executives noted at the time that the cancellation decision was purely a financial one.
Still, the response to CBS’ decision has been nothing short of irate, with Colbert’s famous friends and supporters speaking out against the cancelation over the last year.
In fact, Letterman, who created “The Late Show” in 1993, appeared on the show last week and declared he had “every right to be pissed off,” adding, “Because this theater, you folks, wouldn’t be in this theater if it weren’t for me. And Stephen wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. We rebuilt this theater.”
Nonetheless, Colbert has been getting his flowers from a number of high-profile guests in his final stretch of episodes, as the likes of Billy Crystal, Martha Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, James Taylor, Robert De Niro, John Dickerson and Bruce Springsteen, among others, have sent him off in style.
And the series finale is expected to be no different. Stay tuned for more developments from the evening.
The post Colbert’s Final ‘Late Show’ Monologue Interrupted by Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd to Tease High-Profile Last Guest appeared first on TheWrap.
