UPDATE
May 26, 2026 1:30 AM CDT
CBS and parent company Paramount briefly attempted to limit the reach of Stephen Colbert's Only in Monroe appearance, which surfaced the day after his last episode of the Late Show after it was canceled by CBS. But the network has since backed down, at least for now, NPR reports. In a statement, the network says the episode was "financed and produced by CBS studios" and was only approved for distribution on only the YouTube channels for Colbert himself, the Late Show, and Monroe Community Media. However, the statement says the network has "decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice [of sending copyright notices to other places that post the video] until additional review." As USA Today reports, Colbert first guest-hosted the Michigan-based local access show in 2015, between gigs at the Colbert Report and the Late Show.
May 23, 2026 9:30 AM CDT
Stephen Colbert didn't stay off the air for long after saying goodbye to CBS—as in, about a day. Roughly 24 hours after his final Late Show episode aired, Colbert resurfaced on Monroe Community Media in Michigan, taking over the local public-access program Only in Monroe, per The Hollywood Reporter. The Friday night episode, airing at 11:30pm, featured surprise in-studio guests Jack White and Jeff Daniels, plus video cameos from Steve Buscemi, Eminem, and Byron Allen, the latter of whom is taking over Colbert's CBS time slot. Colbert also shared the stage with the show's regular hosts, Michelle Baumann and former Miss America Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson.
"Since I was last here in Monroe, Michigan, I spent 11 years as the primary host of the Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS, which came to an end last night," he said at the top of the show, joking that it had been "an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV." The episode followed a familiar late-night format, with a monologue tailored to southern Michigan issues and featuring a series of interviews. It ended with Colbert, his guests, and the local hosts dismantling the Only in Monroe set and tossing it into a dumpster.
The appearance was also a callback: Colbert previously hosted Only in Monroe in 2015, just before taking over the Late Show from David Letterman. He referenced that first Monroe stint during his CBS finale, quipping that "show business being what it is these days, that's probably where you'll see me next." This time, he made good on the joke, even as he told THR he'd be focused on family events in the coming days, including his son's college graduation and his brother's wedding in Washington, DC. (President Trump has been expressing his pleasure over the Late Show's demise.)
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