Stephen Colbert Breaks Social Media Silence 2 Months After ‘The Late Show’ Ends

Stephen Colbert is back on the grid — the Instagram grid, at least. The comedian resurfaced on social media on Sunday, almost two months after the end of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, with a birthday tribute to his dog, Benny.

The post featured a closeup of Colbert’s Boykin Spaniel gazing into the camera, with the caption, “Happy 7th birthday, Benny.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Stephen Colbert (@colbert)

In the comments, fans joined Colbert in wishing Benny a happy birthday, with many also sharing that they missed the Late Show host. One Instagram user wrote, “Happy birthday buddy! Have fun playing with your Mom and Dad. Also, we miss your Dad.”

Another shared, “Happy birthday to Benny! And we so miss your master, @colbert for our daily fix.”

Someone else echoed, “Awww, sweet Benny!! Happy 7th Birthday! And tell your dad that we miss him terribly!!! And his beautiful Evie too.”

Benny popped up several times during Colbert’s decade-plus Late Showrun. In a 2019 episode, for example, Colbert shared a CDC warning about dogs making humans sick, and then he brought Benny, then just a puppy, onto the Ed Sullivan Theater stage.

“How dare you, CDC? First, you came for our romaine lettuce, now our puppies? What’s next, ‘Baby Yoda carries listeria’?” Colbert quipped at the time.

Colbert also raved over Benny on The Late Show Pod Show as he talked about the canine attending Late Show rehearsals.

“In rehearsal, he’s a very good boy. [He sits in the] same chair every time. … He sits up like a human in the chair and looks so intently that it really looks like he’s about to give me notes. And I wish he would. … [He’s] intensely interested in where I am at all times. Follows me around the room. … He seems to know what it means to be an audience member.”

Benny also has the distinction of being the last living creature seen on The Late Show. As part of a running gag in that May 21 finale, a wormhole trapped the Ed Sullivan Theatre in a snow globe, and Benny sniffed before Colbert’s offscreen voice told him to come along.