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‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ throughout Thursday’s May 21, 2026 program. Scott Kowalchyk/ CBS
The rankings remain in, and it ‘s authorities:The Late Show With Stephen Colbertwent out with a bang. A record-setting 6.74 million individuals tuned in to the watch the ending on Thursday night, according to reports of initial information from Nielsen. The task marks the program’s most-watched weeknight episode of perpetuity.
Those historical rankings highlight a notable spike from the program’s very first quarter of 2026 average, which was available in at 2.69 million audiences, asRangereports. It’s likewise simply above theThe Late Show’sbest back in 2015, which balanced 6.55 million audiences.
The historical watching numbers come less than a year after CBS decided to end its late-night talk program, which Colbert had actually hosted for more than a years. In August 2025, the network pointed out monetary factors for the bewildering relocation, however there continues to be speculation over the network’s real intentions. CBS’ moms and dad business, Paramount, was looking for to finish a merger with Skydance Media that required federal government approval at the time. Furthermore, simply days before the news of the cancellation, Colbert called out Paramount for its $16 million settlement with Trump, an offer that the comedian-host called “a huge, fat kickback.”
Colbert liquidated his precious program with a star-studded night at New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater. Paul McCartney was the main last visitor on the program, however Jon Stewart, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Strike Force Five, and Neil deGrasse Tyson all made cameos. McCartney likewise brought your home down when he carried out together with Elvis Castello, Colbert’s previous bandleader Jon Batiste, and the program’s existing bandleader Louis Cato to provide a sweet performance of the Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye.”
Throughout his last monologue, Colbert spoke straight to the audience. “On night among theColbert Report,” he stated, describing his long-running Comedy Central talk program, “I stated, ‘Anyone can check out the news to you. I assure to feel the news at you.’ And I understood quite quickly that our task over here was various. We were here to feel the newswithyou, and I do not learn about you, however I sure have actually felt it.”
From Wanderer United States.