Stephen Colbert closed the curtain on The Late Show Thursday night by performing alongside music legend Paul McCartney and singing the Beatles hit “Hello Goodbye” to round off a finale built around nostalgia, celebrity tributes, and a pointed undercurrent about CBS’s decision to end the show.

After more than a decade, Colbert opened the extended show with a poignant monologue, usually reserved for in-studio audience members only, but one that he ran live for viewers at home.

“This show, I want you to know and you to know [pointing down camera], has been a joy for us to do for you,” he said. “In fact, we call this show The Joy Machine.”

He thanked the audience for “reciprocal emotional relationship,” adding: “We love doing this show for you, but what we really, really love is doing this show with you.”

The finale arrived 10 months after CBS announced it would cancel The Late Show, insisting the move was “purely a financial decision” despite speculation surrounding the timing, which came after Colbert criticized Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump while chasing federal approval for a merger.

Colbert did not directly revisit the controversy in his farewell, though the show repeatedly nodded to it through jokes and sketches.

In one pre-taped segment, fellow late-night hosts Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver joked about a “black hole” threatening late-night television.

“Actually, one of these holes opened at my show last year, but it went away after about three days,” Kimmel joked.

The night also featured cameo appearances from Bryan Cranston, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, and Tig Notaro, all pretending to compete for the honor of being Colbert’s final guest.

After repeatedly teasing that Pope Leo XIV might be the one doing the honors, the host revealed that the show would, in fact, end where the Ed Sullivan Theater’s modern mythology began, with a Beatle.

In a sit-down with Colbert, McCartney recalled The Beatles’ landmark appearance at the venue in 1964 and reflected on America’s cultural influence on the band before slipping in a subtle political jab.

“America’s where all the music we loved came from, all the rock n’ roll, the blues, and the whole thing. Even going back to Fred Astaire, it was all from America,” McCartney said. “So that’s what we thought, America was just the land of the free, the greatest democracy.”

“That was what it was,” he continued.

“That was it, yeah,” Colbert quipped.

“And still is hopefully,” the rock legend added.

The musician later performed The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye” as Colbert’s family, staff, and celebrity guests gathered on stage for the final moments of the program.

As the band played on, McCartney and Colbert slipped backstage together, where the former Beatle was given the honors of switching off the theater lights, bringing the show to a close.

Watch above via CBS.

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