Stephen Colbert Makes Surprise Late-Night TV Return 1 Day After Signing Off CBS

“It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV, so I am grateful to be able to be here,” Colbert said jokingly during the broadcast

NEED TO KNOW

• Stephen Colbert hosted Michigan public access TV’s Only in Monroe one day after his final episode of The Late Show
• Celebrity guest appearances during the broadcast included Jack White, Jeff Daniels, Eminem and Steve Buscemi
• “It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV, so I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount,” Colbert said jokingly during the episode on May 22

Stephen Colbert quickly found another hosting gig after his final episode of The Late Show.

Just one day after the final night of his CBS talk show, the host and comedian made an appearance on Michigan public access TV’s Only in Monroe, taking over hosting duties for a full hour on Friday, May 22, with a handful of special celebrity guests.

Colbert, 62, had teased the stunt during his final episode of The Late Show, telling the audience, “Technically our first show in July of 2015 was from a public access station in Monroe, Michigan, for an audience of 12 people."

"Show business being what it is these days, that's probably where you’ll see me next," he said during The Late Show’s final episode on May 21.

The next day on Only in Monroe, Colbert spent time discussing local headlines, doing comedy bits and chatting with guests.

"Since I was last here in Monroe, Michigan, I spent 11 years as the primary host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, which came to an end last night," he began the 11:35 p.m. broadcast, per Variety. "It's been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV, so I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount."

Colbert aimed some other jokes at CBS, saying, "Viewers outside the greater Monroe area are able to view Monroe Community Media thanks to something known as streaming, which I promised not to learn about while I was on CBS. And evidently CBS also decided not to learn about it."

Celebrity guests included actor Jeff Daniels as well as The White Stripes’ Jack White, who helped with the public access show's music needs.

Eminem and Steve Buscemi also made appearances via pre-taped cameos, and Colbert also had a quick FaceTime call to Byron Allen, whose comedy talk show will take over the Late Night with Stephen Colbert time slot.

Colbert was also joined by Michelle Baumann and a former Miss America, Kaye Lani Rafko-Wilson, who were the former hosts of the show, for a segment where they inhaled helium to speak in high-pitched voices. Colbert also used his high-pitched voice to serenade White with "Fell in Love with a Girl."

During his call with Allen, Colbert joked that Only in Monroe would serve as some competition to Allen's upcoming late-night spot.

"I'm coming for you, brother. I can't give up. I’m coming for you," Colbert said jokingly, per Variety. "Michigan public access is coming for you. No free rides, Byron Allen. You've got to earn this. I had to go up against the Jimmies. You've got to go against Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko-Wilson and Jack White, our musical director."

The former Late Show host then ended his segment by wishing Allen good luck on his new slot with his long-running comedy series, Comics Unleashed.

"Byron, have a great show," he said. "You're the best, buddy. Thanks for picking up."

Later in the broadcast, Buscemi appeared to pitch a Monroe restaurant named Buscemi’s Pizza, which he clarified he had no relation to.

"All I know is Buscemi’s exists. I exist. We have the same name. And that’s where any connection ends," he said in the segment. "But if you’re in Monroe, Michigan, and you want pizza from a place with my name that has nothing to do with me, it’s available at 1386 North Monroe Street."

The broadcast concluded with Colbert taking everything from the set — which was no longer in use after his hour was over — outside to set on fire.

"[Producers] informed me, and this is true, that since they are no longer using this set, it would actually be helpful for me to destroy it, which is pretty great news because right now, for no particular reason, I would very much like to break something," Colbert said.

Eminem then showed up for a brief cameo near the end, after Colbert asked the "fire marshal" if it was okay to light up a dumpster full of furniture and pieces of the Only in Monroe set.

"Stephen, Marshall, here," Eminem, a.k.a. Marshall Mathers, said in the clip. "You are absolutely clear to burn that motherf—er down, bro."

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In July 2025, CBS announced the show’s cancellation; it came after Colbert criticized Paramount, the network’s parent company, for its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump.

In a statement, CBS executive said the decision to cancel Colbert's show wasn't "related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount." Instead, it was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night."

Speaking to PEOPLE about the end of his time as Late Show host, Colbert shared that he'll be taking a moment to figure out his next step.

"There's so much to think about to do the show. So I don’t have much better of an answer than most college seniors do, which is I’ve got to finish this first, because it takes almost the entirety of my brain to do this show," Colbert said ahead of his final episode. "So we’ll land this plane and we’ll check out the view from there. But I’m available. Yes.”

During his recent cover interview, Colbert also reflected on the timing of the cancellation.

"I mean, you can't do this forever. You have to think about, well, when is the right time to end your tenure? I didn't think this soon, but I mean, who knows?" he added. "Maybe CBS saved my life because it takes a lot of bone marrow to do the show every day, and now I'll be stepping down with enough time, enough energy to do other things that I want to do."

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