Colbert Reflects on His “Late Show” Journey
As he kicked off his final week on “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert took a nostalgic trip, showcasing some graphics that never made it to air, including a notable one that proclaimed Hillary Clinton the winner of the 2016 presidential race.
In a segment dubbed “The Graveyard of Graphics,” named after a Slack channel where discarded ideas were stored, Colbert introduced a previously unseen visual of Clinton.
The graphic featured a smiling Clinton proudly declared the “winner” of the 45th presidential election, a race ultimately clinched by Donald Trump.
After unveiling the graphic, a member from the graphics team humorously quipped, “Oh, grow up. Everything’s fine.” It was a lighthearted moment amid the farewell.
This episode, aptly titled “Stephen Colbert’s Worst Late Show,” also revealed other sketches and jokes that never found their way to the spotlight. Among these were a mock “Thanksgiving Porn Magazine” named “Giblets” and a spoof cover for “Martha Stewart Living” that read “Donor Party or Dinner Party.”
Colbert’s tenure on “The Late Show” will wrap up on Thursday, concluding nearly 11 years and over 1,800 episodes aired on CBS.
The upcoming episode on Tuesday promises special performances featuring Jon Stewart, director Steven Spielberg, and David Byrne. Wednesday is set to showcase a variety of special guests, including a performance by Bruce Springsteen, although details about the final show remain under wraps.
The decision by CBS to end “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” sparked considerable debate in the entertainment industry. There were accusations suggesting that Paramount Global was responding to political pressures as it finalized a merger with Skydance Media.
Despite these claims, the network firmly stated that financial factors were behind the cancellation, pointing to an estimated $40 million annual loss associated with the show.
This explanation has drawn skepticism from critics like David Letterman and fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, especially considering Paramount’s desire for regulatory approval for the Skydance merger.
Letterman, who originally launched “The Late Show” in 1993 and hosted for over two decades before Colbert’s takeover in 2015, recently returned to the Ed Sullivan Theater to express his discontent with the network’s choice to discontinue late-night specials.
The segment concluded with both hosts engaging in a humorous act, tossing a couch, office chair, watermelon, and wedding cake off the roof of the iconic Manhattan Theater.
In a surprising twist, President Trump even reached out to congratulate Colbert on his canceled show via “Truth Social,” proclaiming, “I absolutely love you,” while also suggesting that Colbert lacked the “talent” to merit his ratings.
