Stephen Colbert took a swipe at Paramount and CBS while making a surprise return to television just one day after filming his final episode of “The Late Show.”
Colbert was a guest host on last Friday’s episode of Michigan public access station, “Only in Monroe,” which is broadcast from Monroe, Michigan.
He opened the local broadcast at 11:35 p.m. local time with a pointed message at Paramount, which owns CBS (the network that aired his evening program).
“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 joked.
He then took aim directly at CBS by addressing the local audience.
“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,” he said, adding, “And evidently, CBS also decided not to learn about it.”
Colbert, 62, welcomed several stars onto the show, including musician Jack White and actor Jeff Daniels.
He also FaceTimed with comedian Byron Allen, who is set to take over Colbert’s CBS time slot.
Colbert signed off the final episode of his late-night show last Thursday after more than 10 years serving as the host.
He shared an emotional goodbye to his viewers and staffers at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City.
“This show has been a joy for us to do for you,” he said in part.
“I cannot adequately explain to you what the people who work here have done for each other, and how much we mean to each other,” Colbert continued. “We love doing the show for you, but what we really love, is doing the show with you.”
Paul McCartney, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, Ryan Reynolds and more stars appeared in the final taping.
Colbert celebrated the end of his late-night run with a star-studded afterparty at NYC events space Second at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi.
Notable attendees included Drew Barrymore, Ewan McGregor, Padma Lakshmi, Tiffany Haddish, John Oliver, Katie Couric, Gayle King, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Batiste, Anderson Cooper, Bernadette Peters and so many more.
Colbert shocked fans in July 2025 when he announced that CBS canceled “The Late Show.”
“I’m not being replaced,” Colbert shared at the time. “This is all just going away.”
The network put out a statement calling Colbert “irreplaceable” while explaining that they are retiring “The Late Show” franchise – which was hosted by David Letterman from 1993 until 2015 when Colbert took over.
“We are proud that Stephen called CBS home,” they said in a statement. “He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.”
CBS also claimed “the challenging backdrop in late night” for ending the show.
“It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” CBS said.
Colbert got the axe shortly after he criticized Paramount for settling with President Trump for $16 million after he sued the company for allegedly editing a “60 Minutes” interview with his presidential opponent Kamala Harris.
Page Six has reached out to CBS for comment.
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