‘The Late Show’: Stephen Colbert’s Final Episode Delivers Biggest Weeknight Audience Ever
What To Know
- The ratings for the series finale of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert have been revealed.
- Here is how the audience total stacks up to other major records as Colbert’s last episode breaks a new one.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ended for good last night, but the late-night series certainly went out with a bang, rather than a whimper, as early ratings reveal a major audience win.
According to Variety, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘s series finale, which aired Thursday, May 21, is the show’s most-watched weeknight episode of all time, per early data from CBS. The installment pulled in 6.47 million viewers on Thursday night, not accounting for next-day streaming or viewing.
That number is up from the show’s 2026 Q1 average of 2.69 million viewers, per live+7 big data info. The audience is even bigger than the original number that tuned into the series premiere of Colbert’s run on The Late Show on September 8, 2015, which garnered 6.55 million viewers at the time.
The most-watched episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert remains the post-Super Bowl installment that aired on February 7, 2016, which pulled in 20.55 million viewers with a 10:54pm ET start time.
Scott Kowalchyk / CBS
As viewers know, the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert kicked off its East Coast broadcast at around 11:37 p.m. ET, and featured a slew of famous faces as Colbert was celebrated by Jon Stewart, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Ryan Reynolds, Tig Notaro, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and many more.
The evening featured a one-on-one interview between Colbert and Beatles star, Paul McCartney, who famously made his American TV debut on the Ed Sullivan Show upon the same stage where The Late Show concluded its run. The episode was capped by a joyous and emotional music performance that invited the show’s staff and crew onstage to share in the spotlight one last time.
As fans know by now, Colbert’s final season was known ahead of time when CBS abruptly announced in 2025 that the show would end with the 2025-2026 TV season.
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R
I'm sure Stephen will land on his feet. I will never think of Charlie Brown's music the same way ever again. It wouldn't be nice to think that CBS's Karma will someday catch up to them, for bowing to political pressure.
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P
he got him self a dream job allready. he is writing the new lord of the rings movie im not kidding google it
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R
Yes I did know that. Very cool, He's going to be just fine! I'm sure.
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C
Trump should be cancelled!
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A
Well, we'll see if Byron Allen will even halfway match that...
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M
No way in hell. For starters, billionaire mogul is paying CBS for the time slot and will keep a piece of ad revenue. How creative. Time to switch to Kimmel.
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S
Even Wikipedia calls Byron a businessman and not a comedian. He's been buying air time for years, buying the slot after Colbert's after Taylor Tomlinson quit "At Midnight" (a Colbert-produced show), and sidled into The Late Show slot with his checkbook the moment it became available. He has two shows, one where he hosts b- and c-list comedians chatting (what they really do is their bits after being set up by Allen), and another where the same-level comedians play a Hollywood Squares ripoff game, and oh yeah he gives himself one of the comedian chairs. He's a poser, a wanna-be, and I will never give him my time.
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J
CBS caved to Trump and should be ashamed of itself. So much for free speech!
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N
Time to boycott See BS, including Paramount+.
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T
Colbert was just not funny anymore night after night nothing but Trump bashing.. I dont need to hear that when Im winding down before bed. Watched the last episode to see McCartney,, at 84 years old still looks great.. and hear his stories which Colbert kept talking over. Miss the days of Johnny and Leno.
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N
Trump has an insatiable need to be constantly in the news. Therefore TV shows will cover what he has said and done.
Someone misses Leno? Interesting….
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L
I think this whole thing is a joke. They don't happen to mention that 59-55 million people watched Johnny Carson's last show. Colbert's numbers are not even close. David Letterman's last show pulled in almost 13 million. My guess is Kimmel will be next.
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N
So the TV landscape has changed over the past 30 years??? No Sherlock!
Please go back to watching the entertainment network know as Fox “News”.
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N
My guess is nobody gives a rip what you and your Trump loving friends think!
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