Paul McCartney appeared as the final guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on May 21, 2026 [1].
The appearance marked a symbolic end to the program following its cancellation. By returning to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City, McCartney created a full-circle moment, as he had previously performed at the same venue on the Ed Sullivan show during the 1960s [2, 3].
McCartney joined Colbert for a performance of the song "Hello, Goodbye" [4]. The musician also participated in the host's final monologue before the show concluded its run [4].
The finale featured several surprise guests to mark the end of the production [3]. While some reports speculated that Pope Leo XIV might be the final guest, McCartney was the actual final appearance of the evening [5, 6].
Colbert's tenure at the Ed Sullivan Theater ended with this broadcast. The choice of McCartney served as a tribute to the history of the venue and the legacy of late-night television in the U.S. [2, 3].
“Paul McCartney appeared as the final guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
The use of Paul McCartney to close the series underscores the historical significance of the Ed Sullivan Theater. By linking the show's end to the 1960s era of The Beatles, the production framed Colbert's departure not just as a network cancellation, but as the closing of a specific chapter in American cultural broadcasting.
