Stephen Colbert's Final Guest Is a 'Full-Circle' One

Stephen Colbert didn't go quietly as he wrapped up more than a decade behind the desk at CBS' The Late Show Thursday night, Deadline reports. Opening the final broadcast, Colbert delivered an unusually direct, emotional message to the studio and home audiences, calling the show "The Joy Machine" and emphasizing that "we were here to feel the news with you." He praised his staff, saying the people who worked on the show "have done for each other" more than he could explain, and thanked viewers for the energy that sustained 11 years of nightly television. He also nodded to the Ed Sullivan Theater's history, joking that Elvis once used the restroom there "and didn't die."

The farewell was peppered with cameos: Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, and Ryan Reynolds all turned up in bits built around their failed attempts to be Colbert's final guest. A pre-taped sketch sent Colbert into a "black hole" threatening late-night TV, featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jon Stewart reading a faux Paramount statement, and fellow hosts Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon joking about a future where the wormhole eventually comes for them, too. It was the final night of a final month of major star power, USA Today reports, with other recent guests including Barack Obama, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Steven Spielberg; Bruce Springsteen was a notable recent musical guest.

The real last guest was Paul McCartney, who presented Colbert with a framed photo of the Beatles' 1964 Ed Sullivan Theater performance. McCartney reminisced about hearing the balcony screams that night, called Ed Sullivan "a really cool guy," and described America as "the land of the free, the greatest democracy… Still is," while plugging his new album and upcoming Beatles movies. Billboard notes the Beatles' 1964 appearance at the theater was "historic," calling McCartney's moment on Colbert a "full-circle" one. The show closed with Elvis Costello performing "Jump Up" alongside Colbert, former bandleader Jon Batiste, and current bandleader Louis Cato, then McCartney leading a stage full of family, friends, and staff in "Hello, Goodbye."