Stephen Colbert imagines an apocalyptic fable in his final show, cancelled after 33 years, following criticism of Trump

The elephant in the room was Donald Trump. The aim: not to name the person who succeeded in getting rid of Stephen Colbert, one of the most popular comedians in the United States. In the last episode of The Late Show, broadcast on Thursday by the CBS network, Colbert insisted he did not want to do anything special, just another show like the 1,800 he has under his belt. But reality had other plans.

When his final guest, Paul McCartney, recalled that, when he was young, the United States was the country that produced the music he liked, it was the land of liberty and the greatest democracy, no more needed to be said. The silence between host and guest, and the audience’s applause, made clear the doubts about whether the country still represents those noble ideals.

The laughter that followed the mention of someone with orange skin also left no doubt about who they had in mind. “I’ve been cancelled but I don’t want to talk about it,” Colbert said at one point.

The show ended with an apocalyptic fable in which a green hole swallowed everyone on set. Interpretations vary, but it’s hard not to think of the idea that silence in the face of injustice can end up consuming us all. To dispel the gloom, the episode ended on a high note: a joint performance by McCartney and Colbert of the Beatles classic Hello, Goodbye.

Since Colbert announced in July last year that CBS had decided to cancel his show, comedians, celebrities, and ordinary people have paid tribute to the man who has led The Late Show for 11 years — a program that, including the time David Letterman hosted it, has been on air for 33 years.

The situation is a mix of politics, power, and entertainment: the show was canceled after Colbert criticized his network’s rapprochement with Trump. The president himself had no qualms about celebrating the firing. All of this unfolded during a big bang moment for the industry, with Paramount, CBS’s parent company, entangled in multibillion‑dollar corporate maneuvers that required government approval — which it ultimately obtained.

The supposed normalcy of this final show was also undermined by the steady appearance in the audience of actors and comedians like Bryan Cranston, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, and Tim Meadows. All insisted on being the final guest. “Rot in hell, Colbert. You got what you deserved,” Meadows joked when he learned he wouldn’t be the last guest, another obvious reference to the host’s dismissal.

The arrival of Colbert’s colleagues and rivals — late-night hosts Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver — added to the sense that this was no ordinary night. The biggest names in late‑night television came together for an emotional tribute to Colbert. “We’re going to miss you,” they said.

Before the show, CBS, the company that cancelled the program, announced it intended to donate Colbert’s set to a museum in Chicago.

Shows of support for the showman have piled up in recent weeks. Comedian Kimmel, a personal friend of Colbert’s, announced on Wednesday that his program would go dark on Thursday as a mark of respect. He was not alone. Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Crystal… All, in one way or another, said farewell to him.

Until Thursday night, Colbert’s was the highest-rated late-night show in the United States. Even so, it had been losing millions in an environment where streaming platforms and shifting consumption habits have gutted the profitability of these programs. And although CBS justified the decision on financial grounds, most analysts believe it was an attempt to curry favor with Trump.

“In forcing Mr. Colbert out and shutting down a 33-year late-night franchise — while selling that post-local-news hour of airtime to a syndicated show instead of replacing him with an original program of the network’s own creation — CBS is assenting to its own diminishment. The biggest loss is to core American values, such as the right to speak freely, even in brutally mocking terms, about those in power,” wrote television veteran Bill Carter in The New York Times a few days ago.

The Late Show turned 33 this year. It won’t have another birthday. In 2015, Colbert took over from Letterman, who recently visited the show. To show support for his ousted successor, the two filmed themselves on the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater — where the show is produced — throwing furniture like office chairs and sofas. The falling objects were aimed at a single target: a giant CBS logo.

“Dave, thanks so much for creating The Late Show 33 years ago. It’s been a pleasure having you back to destroy some stuff,” Colbert told him. “This is like being back home for me,” Letterman replied.

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