Paul McCartney turns off lights on 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert'
Stephen Colbert bid farewell to "The Late Show" with a Beatle by his side.
The talk show host signed off the last episode of the CBS show's 33-year run on Thursday night. The finale included an interview with Paul McCartney and a performance of The Beatles' "Hello Goodbye," with Colbert singing backup.
Elvis Costello, Jon Batiste and the show's staff also joined in on the performance.
Not only was the moment a celebration for "The Late Show," it was also a full circle moment for McCartney, who made one of his first U.S. television appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964, with The Beatles. "The Ed Sullivan Show" was filmed at the same venue as "The Late Show."
During the interview, Colbert asked McCartney if the theater still brings back memories.
"When you close your eyes, do you hear the girls screaming?" the host asked, in a reference to the "Beatlemania" fan culture.
"Yeah," McCartney replied as the women in the audience screamed wildly.
"How often does that happen to you at this point?" Colbert asked when the screams died down.
"Often," said McCartney.
McCartney also reminisced about how, when The Beatles were on "Ed Sullivan," they got makeup put on them for the cameras and "it was, like, bright orange."
"That’s very popular in certain circles these days,” joked Colbert. “Now we know where it started. Thanks a lot, Paul McCartney!"
Sir Paul also talked about the romantic vision The Beatles had of America as "the land of the free, the greatest democracy," adding, "That was what it was. It still is, hopefully."
McCartney also praised Paul Mescal, who will be portraying him in the upcoming Beatles biopic.
When Colbert asked McCartney, "Who is cuter? Young Paul McCartney or Paul Mescal?" McCartney replied, "Me."
McCartney added, "No, he's very cute, he's very cute."
CBS announced in July 2025 that it was ending the "The Late Show" franchise due to a "financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," George Cheeks, the president of CBS and co-chief executive of parent company Paramount, said in a press release at the time.
"The Late Show" began in 1993 with then-host David Letterman. When Letterman left the show in 2015, he was replaced by Colbert.
Prior to the performance of "Hello Goodbye," Colbert, Costello and Batiste performed obscure Costello song "Jump Up."
Then, as "Hello Goodbye" faded out, Colbert went to turn out the lights, and beckoned McCartney to join him.
He threw the switch, the building went dark, and it was then sucked into a wormhole and spit out into a snow globe, being sniffed at by a dog. We then heard Colbert's voice saying, "C'mon Benny, let's go," and the show ended.
