Colbert Reveals Final Week of Late Show

Stephen Colbert is heading into his final week on CBS with a guest list that signals both a victory lap and a goodbye.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end its run on Thursday, May 21, according to the announcement tied to the show’s last stretch of episodes. CBS has lined up a slate of high-profile guests for that final week, including Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg and Bruce Springsteen, underscoring how central the program has remained to the late-night landscape through its closing days.

The final-week plan suggests a deliberate look back as Colbert signs off. Reports indicate the Monday, May 18 episode will send the host down memory lane, setting a reflective tone before the final broadcast. That structure matters: rather than treat the ending as just another booking cycle, the show appears to frame its last episodes as a summing up of an era in network late night.

The final guest lineup turns Colbert’s last week into more than a farewell — it marks the end of a distinct chapter for CBS late night.

The names attached to the closing run carry their own weight. Stewart links Colbert’s finale to the comedy and political commentary tradition that shaped both men’s careers. Spielberg and Springsteen bring cultural reach far beyond late night, giving the final episodes the feel of an event rather than a routine signoff. Even without more details on each appearance, the lineup alone shows CBS wants the show’s exit to land as a major television moment.

What comes next will matter well beyond one host’s goodbye. The end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert leaves CBS closing a long-running franchise at a moment when the late-night format faces pressure from streaming, social video and shifting audience habits. The final week now stands as both a sendoff for Colbert and a measure of how legacy TV brands try to define their relevance at the end of an era.