Credit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS
Stephen Colbert signed off from the Ed Sullivan Theater for the final time on Thursday night. Although the circumstances of his departure from the CBS airwaves were nothing to smile about, his grace and humor certainly are. He and his 11-year run as the host of the most watched late night talk show, “The Late Night with Stephen Colbert,” are this week’s reason to smile.
Colbert’s final weeks were a star-studded affair with guest after guest serenading the comedian with songs they had customized to the occasion, with rewritten lyrics.
Colbert, a singer in his own right, was a champion of music and musical theater. So it is not surprising that he ended his last show with a song. Not just any song, and not just with any guests.
Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste, his former band leader, and Louis Cato, his current one, joined Colbert in a joyous rendition of the Beatles’ ‘Hello, Goodbye,’ to bring the show to a close.
What a poignant moment it was with McCartney performing on the same stage where the Beatles made their American debut in 1964, on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
In 2015, Colbert took the reins of “The Late Show” from the legendary David Letterman, who hosted the show for 22 years. The 2016 presidential election allowed Colbert to make a name for himself as a funny and insightful observer of American politics. He never looked back nor shied away from criticizing those in power.
While Colbert may be done with CBS, don’t think he won’t be back on TV soon and in a better place. As they say, please stand by.