1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:11,919 Speaker 1: Calarugashock Media. Well, we are at the end. It is 2 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,480 the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight. 3 00:00:15,919 --> 00:00:18,719 It was last July when Steven Colbert looked straight into 4 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:21,519 the camera and announced that this season of The Late 5 00:00:21,559 --> 00:00:24,359 Show would be the last. Tonight the final episode. You 6 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,679 may recall CBS, whose parent company, Paramount, was in the 7 00:00:27,719 --> 00:00:30,800 midst of closing a multi billion dollar merger with David 8 00:00:30,839 --> 00:00:35,119 Ellison's Sky Dance Company that required the Trump administration to 9 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,560 approve it. CBS insisted it was purely a financial decision. 10 00:00:40,079 --> 00:00:42,079 The choice to cancel the number one show in late 11 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:45,799 night raised more than a few eyebrows. The Colbert decision 12 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:49,079 came just two weeks after Paramount had agreed to pay 13 00:00:49,119 --> 00:00:52,200 Trump sixteen million dollars to settle a lawsuit over a 14 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,439 sixty minutes interview. In the time between, it has been 15 00:00:55,479 --> 00:00:59,520 suggested that The Colbert Show loses forty million dollars a year. 16 00:01:00,039 --> 00:01:03,200 As I've said on this program before, I find it 17 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,319 curious that they went straight to cancelation and not any 18 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,079 sort of budget adjustments. Do you need the Ed Sullivan Theater? 19 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:10,680 Do you need a live band? Can we tape two 20 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:13,480 on Monday. Do you need ex writers? Can you do 21 00:01:13,519 --> 00:01:15,439 it with fewer writers? Could you take the summers off? 22 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:17,239 Can we do guest hosts on Monday? There's all kinds 23 00:01:17,239 --> 00:01:18,840 of things they could have looked at, and they chose 24 00:01:18,879 --> 00:01:22,200 to go straight to cancelation. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to 25 00:01:22,239 --> 00:01:24,480 Stephen Colbert back in April, and I have held on 26 00:01:24,519 --> 00:01:28,680 to that for today. They asked Stephen, what will tomorrow 27 00:01:28,799 --> 00:01:31,439 look like. Stephen Colbert said, my brother's getting married, so 28 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:33,439 my whole family's going to be here tonight and then 29 00:01:33,439 --> 00:01:34,840 we're all going to get on the train and go 30 00:01:34,879 --> 00:01:37,879 to DC for the wedding. So immediately after the show's over, 31 00:01:37,879 --> 00:01:40,640 there's something much more important going on. He told the 32 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:45,079 story of getting the news. His manager, James Dixon never 33 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:47,680 visits in person, and people were like, James wants to 34 00:01:47,719 --> 00:01:49,519 talk to you, and Colbert said, I'm like, he's here 35 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:51,920 in person. What's going on? James says, this is going 36 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,239 to be the last season? So I sat up and said, really, huh, 37 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:55,879 well this comes as a surprise, and he goes, I 38 00:01:55,879 --> 00:01:58,680 can imagine. So they said it's not making any money. 39 00:01:58,719 --> 00:02:02,079 I'm like, okay, I mean it's their business. I'm a 40 00:02:02,079 --> 00:02:03,959 company man. I understand that people here to make the 41 00:02:03,959 --> 00:02:06,400 green stuff. We're not here to do free form polyrhythmic 42 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,639 jazz poetry. We're here to sell some breathewright strips. And 43 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,120 I have no qualms about that, and they've been great partners. 44 00:02:11,199 --> 00:02:13,639 But I went, I don't understand. It hasn't been two 45 00:02:13,719 --> 00:02:15,680 years since I signed my last contract, and they were 46 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,319 feverish to lock me down. It was the best negotiation 47 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:20,560 we'd ever had. I only do one hundred and sixty 48 00:02:20,599 --> 00:02:23,840 shows now, only all that kind of stuff, Dixon said. 49 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:25,599 They said they could show me the numbers if we want, 50 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:27,000 But I'm not going to ask them to open the books. 51 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,520 I'm not here to talk anybody to me. The Hollywood 52 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,719 Reporter asked Colbert, does the forty million dollar figure sound accurate? 53 00:02:32,759 --> 00:02:35,479 Steven said, came as a surprise. Look, there's no denying 54 00:02:35,479 --> 00:02:37,520 that the broadcast models in a huge trouble. But our 55 00:02:37,599 --> 00:02:39,680 model Late Night, within that overall model has been very 56 00:02:39,719 --> 00:02:42,400 profitable for like seventy years, starting with Steve Allen. But 57 00:02:42,479 --> 00:02:44,199 maybe we were the first show to be a detriment. 58 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:45,639 Maybe we were the first one to flip in the 59 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:47,960 other direction. I don't wish to litigate it. It's their 60 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,319 shop and they could do whatever they want. I'm grateful 61 00:02:50,319 --> 00:02:52,919 for the time I've spent here. As I've said to 62 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,199 Dixon eighteen months ago, they could not nail me to 63 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,840 this building hard enough. But maybe everything changed after the strike. 64 00:02:57,879 --> 00:03:01,080 And if that's the case, I accept that entirely. There 65 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,560 are many people who believe there was another reason. And 66 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:05,560 as I said in the most measured tones I could muster, 67 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:08,319 there's a reason why people believe that the network clearly 68 00:03:08,319 --> 00:03:10,439 had already done it once by cutting that sixteen million 69 00:03:10,479 --> 00:03:13,719 dollar check. I like this one. He said. Causality is 70 00:03:13,759 --> 00:03:15,960 not the same thing as correlation. And I understand that 71 00:03:16,039 --> 00:03:18,759 not just because I learned from the RJ. Reynolds Tobacco company, 72 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,199 which reminded us that, yes, you smoked and you got cancer. 73 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,360 But you know, correlation is not causality. So maybe my 74 00:03:24,439 --> 00:03:27,319 cancelation was just a naturally occurring tumor that just had 75 00:03:27,319 --> 00:03:29,080 to be cut out of the corporation. I mean, that's 76 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,000 entirely possible. I would also say, and this is what 77 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,199 feels most true to me, that two things can be true. 78 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:37,159 It can be that the broadcast models collapsing. And while 79 00:03:37,159 --> 00:03:38,719 we're at it, as long as we're collapsing here, what 80 00:03:38,759 --> 00:03:40,319 if we shove this one out a window first. I 81 00:03:40,319 --> 00:03:42,599 mean this, Lamb's got a very cutable throat. Let me 82 00:03:42,719 --> 00:03:46,000 chime in there. I've talked about this several times on 83 00:03:46,039 --> 00:03:48,080 the show, but I think today's a good day to 84 00:03:48,159 --> 00:03:52,159 repeat myself. This is my Tailor Tomlinson conspiracy theory, and 85 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:54,879 anytime I go into this, I cannot scream loudly enough. 86 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:58,439 I'm not blaming Taylor Tomlinson for anything, but let me 87 00:03:58,479 --> 00:04:01,719 just remind everybody of a timeline and my theory. Taylor 88 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,000 Tomlinson's twelve thirty show had been picked up, it had 89 00:04:05,039 --> 00:04:07,560 been renewed, and then Taylor decided she didn't want to 90 00:04:07,599 --> 00:04:10,680 continue hosting it, and then CBS went, eh, maybe we 91 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:12,439 shouldn't even have a twelve thirty show, and they sold 92 00:04:12,439 --> 00:04:17,160 the time to Byron Allen. Now I'm wondering, did that 93 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,920 start a conversation where somebody in a room somewhere went, 94 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:22,639 you know, if we don't have twelve thirty, what if 95 00:04:22,639 --> 00:04:24,759 we didn't have eleven thirty? And I imagine the first 96 00:04:24,759 --> 00:04:27,040 time somebody said that out loud, that was crazy talk, 97 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,920 but maybe perhaps possibly As they started a look at that, 98 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,160 they went, yeah, what if we didn't have eleven thirty? 99 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,279 And again, so let me ask you this question. Had 100 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:39,399 Taylor Tomlinson said yes and signed some sort of contract, 101 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:41,839 would they have a twelve thirty show and no eleven 102 00:04:41,879 --> 00:04:44,600 thirty show or would we be looking at starting next 103 00:04:44,639 --> 00:04:48,160 week Taylor Tomlinson hosting the eleven thirty slot, which would 104 00:04:48,199 --> 00:04:51,560 have been differently interesting if, among other things, a woman 105 00:04:51,639 --> 00:04:54,639 hosting the eleven thirty show on a major broadcast network 106 00:04:54,639 --> 00:04:57,319 would have been news in itself. So maybe you'd have 107 00:04:57,360 --> 00:04:59,839 Taylor at eleven thirty and Byron Allen at twelve thirty. 108 00:05:00,319 --> 00:05:03,399 That would probably discussed people a little less than what's 109 00:05:03,439 --> 00:05:06,839 going on right now. The Holland reporter said to Stephen Colbert, 110 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,720 your boss paramounts George Cheeks delivered the news not to 111 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:12,120 you but to your manager, which didn't sit well with you. 112 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,680 Did you ultimately have a conversation on your own? No. 113 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,959 Here's Colbert's very short answer. He called me eventually. The 114 00:05:17,959 --> 00:05:21,040 Hollywood reporter followed up, what did that call look like, Stephen? 115 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:23,800 I don't think George would mind if I characterized our conversation. 116 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:25,720 It was later in the summer and he called to 117 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,879 express that he wished it had gone down a different way, 118 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,240 and I said me too. I'm not over here grinding 119 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:31,720 a knife, but we're going to make jokes about how 120 00:05:31,759 --> 00:05:33,480 this one down and about the forty million dollars and 121 00:05:33,519 --> 00:05:36,000 about CBS the parent check cutting spree. To the president, 122 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:37,920 that's the show I want to do for ten more 123 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:39,759 months because I like working for CBS and I'm not 124 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,800 going to change that relationship between now and the end 125 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:43,759 if you'll allow that to happen. And he said, I 126 00:05:43,759 --> 00:05:45,519 promise you that's what will happen. So that was it. 127 00:05:45,879 --> 00:05:47,399 What's the use of being mad? All I want to 128 00:05:47,399 --> 00:05:49,279 do is go have fun for an audience that appreciates it. 129 00:05:49,319 --> 00:05:50,800 And that's what my goal has been for ten months. 130 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:52,879 When this is all over, I'll probably have a different 131 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,480 or rather fuller perspective on all this. But I really 132 00:05:55,519 --> 00:05:57,399 don't have time to be mad about anything right now. 133 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:00,879 THHR has the Brandanny outreach from David Ellison since the 134 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,839 Paramounts Guidince merger closed in August twenty twenty five. Steven's 135 00:06:04,879 --> 00:06:07,879 answer no again. This interview was in April. I don't 136 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,519 know if they've spoken in the meantime. Thchh R. You've 137 00:06:10,519 --> 00:06:12,360 said a few times you've been about to re enter 138 00:06:12,439 --> 00:06:15,000 show business. Have you been approached with scripts? Steven, Yes, 139 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:17,000 immediately and listen, people have been patient because I've had 140 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:18,360 to say, like, I'm sorry. When I no longer have 141 00:06:18,399 --> 00:06:19,639 to think about this show all the time, I'll have 142 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:20,920 a better idea of what I want to do. But 143 00:06:20,959 --> 00:06:23,439 it's been very nice. He was asked if he's talked 144 00:06:23,439 --> 00:06:26,079 with people like Conan or John Stewart about what life 145 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:30,160 after Late Night looks like. Stephen apparently started laughing. THHR 146 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:33,040 was curious why. Steven said, because I've been having those 147 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:35,199 conversations with them for a long time. John Stewart's like, 148 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:36,879 you like ice skating, but you know how great it 149 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:38,560 feels when you take the ice skates off. It kind 150 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,000 of feels like that. And for years, Conan's like, I'm 151 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:42,680 been telling you there's so much other fun to have, 152 00:06:42,759 --> 00:06:44,120 to the point where I've been like, do you not 153 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,800 like my show? THCHR. Conan has built his own empire podcast, 154 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,360 travel show, some acting. John went back to the Daily Show. 155 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:53,360 Those are two very different paths. Steven, Yeah, and I 156 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:55,600 don't think I'll do either one of those. So he 157 00:06:55,639 --> 00:06:57,360 seems to like podcasts, but has said a couple of 158 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,279 times he doesn't want to host a podcasts. I've said 159 00:07:00,319 --> 00:07:03,399 on this program, I am highly confident, knowing how serious 160 00:07:03,399 --> 00:07:06,279 ExM works, that they've either reached out to him previously. 161 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:08,439 We'll reach out tonight in the wee hours at twelve 162 00:07:08,519 --> 00:07:10,759 thirty seven AM, when Steven's a free agent, or however 163 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,560 his contract works. All right, Stephen Colbert, if you had 164 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:15,720 gone out on your own terms, what would have looked like? 165 00:07:16,199 --> 00:07:18,480 Stephen said, I mean a lot like this, just be 166 00:07:18,519 --> 00:07:20,720 a little older, and it would have been my choice, 167 00:07:20,759 --> 00:07:22,360 and I probably would have known what the final show 168 00:07:22,439 --> 00:07:25,360 was going to be a little earlier. I'm a Colbert rapport. 169 00:07:25,399 --> 00:07:27,079 I picked that Dad. I didn't tell anybody, but I 170 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:29,600 knew two years ahead of time. Well, we didn't pick 171 00:07:29,639 --> 00:07:31,800 this day, but maybe they gave me a gift because 172 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:33,079 I had a lot of jokes I could make about 173 00:07:33,079 --> 00:07:34,800 the end of the show, and if I decided in 174 00:07:34,879 --> 00:07:36,720 the show, then I'm the bad guy. Hard to make 175 00:07:36,759 --> 00:07:39,800 jokes about that. Dhr Lenell left late night and added 176 00:07:39,839 --> 00:07:41,759 more dates to the road. Trevor Noah did the same. 177 00:07:42,199 --> 00:07:44,199 Does that hold any appeal, Steven, I didn't come up 178 00:07:44,199 --> 00:07:46,560 as a stand up. Improv is collaborative in its nature, 179 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:48,920 and all the shows I've done have been collaborative. It 180 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:50,319 doesn't mean that I wouldn't do a live show at 181 00:07:50,319 --> 00:07:51,519 some point, but it's not like I'm going to go 182 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:54,600 out somewhere night and do a tight tened zenies. Is 183 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:56,720 it better or worse being replaced by Byron Allen than 184 00:07:56,839 --> 00:07:59,600 another traditional late night comedy show? Stephen said, none of 185 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:02,040 my business. Stephen. How are worried to you about the 186 00:08:02,079 --> 00:08:04,480 future of late night? Stephen said, I don't know what's 187 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:05,480 going to be and I don't know what I can 188 00:08:05,519 --> 00:08:07,560 do to help other than what he did last eleven years. 189 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:09,480 But one night I'll turn on the TV and probably 190 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,600 no one will be there. Stephen Colbert recently discussed with 191 00:08:13,639 --> 00:08:17,399 President Obama the idea of Colbert running for president, which 192 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:22,079 I don't think is the craziest idea. He's well spoken, 193 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:24,040 he doesn't seem like the sort of person who pops 194 00:08:24,079 --> 00:08:28,120 off emotionally, not the worst looking guy, looks good into suits. 195 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:30,279 I mean, there's a lot there to consider. What does 196 00:08:30,279 --> 00:08:31,920 Stephen Colbert run for president. 197 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,799 Speaker 2: I'm looking for a new gig soon, and a lot 198 00:08:35,799 --> 00:08:38,600 of people tell me I should run for president or 199 00:08:38,639 --> 00:08:41,000 you certainly have the look, thank you, you have the hook. 200 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 1: Well, for the. 201 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:45,200 Speaker 2: Record, I think it's a stupid idea. How dumb. How 202 00:08:45,279 --> 00:08:47,159 dumb do you think it is for people to say 203 00:08:47,159 --> 00:08:51,600 that I should run for president? Well, you know, the 204 00:08:51,639 --> 00:08:57,600 bar has changed, that is true at times subterraneous, So 205 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:00,480 I don't have to limbo so low this way. 206 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: I think that you could perform significantly better than some 207 00:09:06,639 --> 00:09:11,559 folks that we've seen. All right, Yeah, I have great 208 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:13,480 confidence in that, Thank you very much. Yeah. 209 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:15,320 Speaker 2: Is that an endorsement? It was not. 210 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 1: If Colbert is not your thing, Well, Jimmy Kimmel will 211 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:21,320 air a rerun tonight. Kimmel is doing so out of 212 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,600 deference to Colbert's send off. Kimmel did the same thing 213 00:09:24,639 --> 00:09:27,480 in May of twenty fifteen for David Letterman's final show. 214 00:09:27,879 --> 00:09:31,279 Jimmy Fallon also will air a rerun in a sign 215 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:34,879 of late night solidarity. The Washington Post wrote, this isn't 216 00:09:34,919 --> 00:09:37,000 how things were supposed to turn out when Colbert was 217 00:09:37,039 --> 00:09:39,639 hired to take over for Letterman. You could tell from 218 00:09:39,639 --> 00:09:42,399 the last episode of The Colbert Report, which aired December eighteenth, 219 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:45,720 twenty fourteen, that Colbert wanted to unite, not divide. In 220 00:09:45,759 --> 00:09:48,080 the final segment, he began to sing We'll Meet Again 221 00:09:48,519 --> 00:09:51,120 as a comically absurd number of celebrities from every corner 222 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:54,600 of entertainment and politics joined him on stage, from Kareem 223 00:09:54,639 --> 00:09:57,159 Abdul Jabbar to Mike huckabat a cookie Monster. To watch 224 00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,759 that segment today is to be beamed into a different universe. 225 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:02,720 Can you imagine a world where Michael Stipe is singing 226 00:10:02,759 --> 00:10:07,080 and dancing alongside Henry Kissinger and four star General Raymond Odierno, 227 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:10,799 David Remnick with Mike Tabe, George Saunders with Toby Keith. 228 00:10:10,919 --> 00:10:13,440 That's the world Colbert wanted to live in. It is 229 00:10:13,519 --> 00:10:15,799 his misfortune, then, that the one he found himself in 230 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:17,960 was the world of Trump, where everything, and especially late 231 00:10:18,039 --> 00:10:21,679 night television, would become instantly polarized. When a joke about 232 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,879 the president went from being satirical to immediately personal and globalized. 233 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:27,960 Colbert recognized the change quickly. It's why his show got 234 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,399 more political after struggling in the ratings his first year. 235 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:33,320 But to use his own jacket metaphor, never quite fit 236 00:10:33,399 --> 00:10:36,200 him right. The skating improv comic and the smiling talk 237 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,080 show host didn't mesh. The Late Show was a perfectly 238 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:40,960 fine talk show, but it was never transcendent in the 239 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:43,559 way the Colbert Report was. It was just another show 240 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:45,879 in which an older white guy told safe jokes from 241 00:10:45,879 --> 00:10:48,960 behind a desk. Wash Pro writes the thing about late 242 00:10:49,039 --> 00:10:51,600 night TV today, it really aren't any big tens anymore. 243 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:53,600 Everyone's in the culture war, whether they like it or not. 244 00:10:53,639 --> 00:10:56,840 It makes me grateful that David Letterman retired when he did. 245 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,559 His late night career came before Trump's political one, before 246 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:02,399 the entire world was required to engage in political discourse. 247 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:04,919 Letterman had his political beliefs, but he didn't have to 248 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:06,679 be ruled by them the way everybody in the culture 249 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:09,120 arena now seems to be a de illustrate Washington Post 250 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,039 point here. And when Dave does speak, he's very political. 251 00:11:12,159 --> 00:11:14,080 Now when he goes on things like the Barber Gain Show, 252 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:16,559 I don't know about very political, but somewhat political. I 253 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:18,519 think Dave's made it clear he's not a fan of 254 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,639 the current administration. Back to wash Poe, Dave was just 255 00:11:21,759 --> 00:11:23,279 able to do a show he wanted to do the 256 00:11:23,279 --> 00:11:26,519 big tent show that somehow never felt either compromised or defanged. 257 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:30,679 Letterman himself seems to recognize this. He once joked that 258 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:32,279 if he were still hosting The Late Show, he'd talk 259 00:11:32,279 --> 00:11:34,399 about trumpettil people have to come and take me off 260 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,600 the stage. Colbert wanted a Late Show in the era 261 00:11:37,639 --> 00:11:39,840 of Trump that could no longer exist. The show he 262 00:11:39,879 --> 00:11:42,679 replaced it with was a rating success, but it never 263 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,600 approached the creative heights of the Colbert rapport. And that's 264 00:11:45,639 --> 00:11:48,279 it single topic today. Stephen Colbert of The Late Show, 265 00:11:48,759 --> 00:11:52,279 congratulations sir, and best of luck to whatever happens next. 266 00:11:52,279 --> 00:11:55,720 And boy, what a shame that that franchise dies tonight. 267 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:57,480 I'll see you guys tomorrow.