The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert delivered a historic sendoff for late-night television, officially becoming the most-watched weeknight episode in the show’s history.
According to Variety, early figures released by CBS indicate that Thursday night’s finale drew approximately 6.74 million viewers, surpassing the audience for Stephen Colbert’s 2015 debut episode, which drew 6.55 million when he first took over the franchise from David Letterman.
The massive audience marked a dramatic jump from the show’s 2026 first-quarter average of roughly 2.69 million viewers and underscored the emotional weight surrounding the end of one of television’s most recognizable late-night brands.
While the finale now stands as the show’s biggest regular weeknight broadcast ever, the all-time ratings peak for Colbert’s run remains the special post-Super Bowl episode in February 2016, which reached more than 20 million viewers.
The emotional farewell featured appearances from a stacked lineup of celebrities and comedians, including Paul McCartney, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Ryan Reynolds, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Andy Cohen, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
One of the night’s most memorable moments came when McCartney helped symbolically “turn out the lights” inside the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, the same venue where The Beatles famously performed in 1964 and where the Late Show franchise has operated since 1993.
The finale closed with Colbert and McCartney performing the Beatles classic “Hello Goodbye” alongside Elvis Costello, former bandleader Jon Batiste, current bandleader Louis Cato, and members of the show’s staff.
The cancellation of The Late Show sparked widespread conversation earlier this year after CBS insisted the decision was based on financial considerations. However, critics and viewers questioned the timing surrounding the network’s broader corporate interests and relationships involving the Trump administration, especially given the franchise’s 33-year run and Colbert’s outspoken political commentary.
