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And soon, the end is near/and so on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Facing the final curtain.
Before Colbert’s CBS late-night talk show ended on Thursday, May 21, 2026, his friend and rival Jimmy Fallon was sure to stop by the Ed Sullivan Theater and drop some well wishes. In Fallon style, he sent Colbert off with a song.
Maybe that wasn’t a great first reaction, and I apologize in advance, Jimmy, but… My way The delivery was actually quite good – both lyrically and vocally. (I knew Fallon could sing, of course, but bad parody lyrics would have sunk the whole ship.)
And now the end is near
And so you face the final curtain.
But Trump made it clear
He wants you gone, we’re sure of that.
You have been a gracious host/
We’ve loved you since the old reporting days.
And much more/
You did it your way.
CBS, they said you were done with/
And now it’s down to just the two Jimmys.
But wait, before you go, can I please have/
One of your Emmys?
Oh now what will you do?
Dancing with the stars? Or move to Norway?
In 28, you will have our voice/
You did it your way.
Good stuff, right?
It was a funny and beautiful moment shared by two men who you could tell had a true friendship – we’ve come a long way from that The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Unfortunately, so are TV ratings, and in the wrong direction.
Late-night shows aren’t cheap ships, especially when captained by big-ticket stars like Colbert, Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel. Nightly viewership for the somewhat antiquated TV format no longer justified the cost — at least, that’s the indirect reason CBS gave for the cancellation Late Show. As Fallon alluded to in song form, many people believe that the long feud between President Trump and Colbert played a role in the decision, which came in parallel with David Ellison’s purchase of Paramount.
Earlier in his visit, Fallon revealed a photo of Colbert and his puppy, Penny, on their boat, which he requested as a gift for them. The painting was okay, the inspiration photo was great, but the sentiment was beautiful.
Watch and enjoy below. Bon voyage, Steven.
