Celebrities and political figures came out of the woodwork to express their appreciation for Stephen Colbert and rebuke CBS and the Trump administration in the hours before the final episode of The Late Show.
In a video shared to Instagram on Thursday by the Committee for the First Amendment, nearly a dozen celebrities came together to share their admiration for the late-night host before his last episode aired.
“Today, Stephen Colbert hosts The Late Show for the last time," said The West Wing actor Bradley Whitford.
“He called out CBS for paying off Trump,” singer Ariana DeBose said. “CBS canceled his show.”
“On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert has used humor to bring us joy and hold power accountable," said Community star Yvette Nicole Brown.
“He made us laugh and he never flinched,” said Klute actress Jane Fonda.
“I’m gonna miss him, and I’m disturbed by what it means that he’ll be gone,” Spotlight actor Mark Ruffalo said.
“But authoritarians need to get rid of those voices—voices of the people," said Forrest Gump actress Sally Field.
“The fact that CBS and Donald Trump both wanted Stephen gone tells you everything you need to know about how much power a comedian with a microphone has right now,” said What We Do in the Shadows star Harvey Guillén.
“We’ve watched this administration suppress dissent repeatedly,” Fonda added.
“Jimmy Kimmel suspended. NPR defunded,” Debose continued, before Guillén added, “The AP, The View, now The Wall Street Journal—sued, threatened, pressured."
“These are not the actions of the powerful. These are the actions of the threatened,” Brown said, with Whitford adding that “These are the actions of weak men, un-American cowards.”
“This is a dark time in our country, and I feel certain, with all of us standing up, resisting, one day we’ll be on the other side of it,” Field said.
“Stephen, you modeled the punchline as an act of resistance,” Ruffalo said. “You stood up courageously, even when it cost you personally.”
“While being hilarious, you also managed to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders,” What’s Eating Gilbert Grape actress Mary Steenburgen said of Colbert.
“You have used your platform for good, for lifting up others to fight against injustice, to call out corruption,” The Traitors’ Alan Cumming said, adding that Colbert has “balls of steel and a heart of gold.”
The video concluded with each of the stars, plus Friday Night Lights actress Connie Britton, thanking Colbert individually for his work.
Neither CBS nor the White House immediately returned the Daily Beast’s requests for comment.
Other famous figures also shared their respect for Colbert on Thursday, including former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Stephen Colbert has a talent for making people laugh and encouraging them to stay curious, stay engaged, and stay hopeful about the world around them,” Harris, 61, wrote in a post on X. “Thank you for your voice, your creativity, and so many memorable conversations over the years. Cheers to you.”
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey also thanked Colbert “for years of laughter, and speaking truth to power and never backing down.”
“The Late Show is ending under the shadow of FCC pressure and corporate fear,” Markey, 79, wrote in a social media post. “The FCC’s job is to protect the public interest, not serve Trump’s interest.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the FCC for comment on Markey’s post.
Fellow late-night host Jimmy Fallon also shared a tribute to the Late Show legend, sharing artwork of Colbert with a quote from The Lord of the Rings. “There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it’s worth fighting for.”
Colbert, a super fan of the series’ author, J.R.R. Tolkien, announced that he is working on writing the script for a sequel film tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.
Deadline reported on Thursday that among the slate of A-list guests and cameos on Colbert’s final show were legendary Beatles member Paul McCartney and actors Paul Rudd and Ryan Reynolds.
Colbert, 62, has had a number of high-profile guests during his last week of The Late Show, including former Late Show host David Letterman, Robert De Niro, Talking Heads singer David Byrne, and Bruce Springsteen, among others.
A backstage video shot by house comedian Paul Mecurio captured the moment Colbert took the stage for the last time.
“And that is the beginning of the last Late Show ever," Mecurio said after Colbert walked out to greet the crowd. “What do you say?”
CBS announced last July that The Late Show would air its final episode in May 2026, saying that the decision was “not related in any way related to the show’s performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount.”
However, the announcement came only days after Colbert called out the network’s parent company, Paramount, for its “big, fat bribe” over a $16 million settlement it paid to President Donald Trump’s presidential library.
