A day after ending his 11-year tenure at CBS, former Late Show host Stephen Colbert filled familiar seat. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the former Daily Show correspondent appeared as a guest host for Only In Monroe, the public access TV show in Michigan. Colbert worked at the show before the CBS gig in 2015.
Along with special guests Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom, Shrinking) and rock musician Jack White (Fear of the Dawn, No Name), Colbert quipped about his need to return to TV screens a mere 23 hours after closing the Ed Sullivan Theatre one final time. Peep a snippet of White’s appearance below.
“I am so grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount,” joked Colbert via THR. The show’s format mimicked a late-nite show, with interviews. and news being centered on Michigan news. In addition to Daniels and White, the set was visited by Detroit’s Eminem (“Stan”, “The Real Slim Shady”), actor Steve Buscemi (Wednesday, Con Air) and Byron Allen (Comics Unleashed, Real People), the man taking over Colbert’s time slot.
Surprisingly, Colbert even referenced the show in Thursday’s last taping of The Late Show. In response to the studio audience’s booing of it being his final show, Colbert said, “We were lucky enough to be here for the last 11 years, we can’t take this for granted. Though technically our first show in July of 2015 was from a public access station in Monroe, Michigan, for an audience of 12 people. Show business being what it is these days, that’s probably where you’ll see me next.”
Colbert ended Monroe with his special guests and normal hosts, Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko, destroying the set. View the hour-long episode below.
CBS announced The Late Show‘s cancellation last year, citing financial restraints. However, many suspected the show was a casualty of the network’s new owner, David Ellison’s, good friendship with President Donald Trump. Some assumed Ellison was orchestrating Trump’s bidding against his critics.
Trump’s well-known feud with Colbert and TV personalities consumed the airwaves last year, from him calling for Jimmy Kimmel’s firing after his comments about assassinated conservative figure, Charlie Kirk, to his issues with 60 Minutes and ABC News, which launched lawsuits and threats of license suspensions.
Trump even praised the show’s cancellation Thursday evening, stating on Truth Social, “Colbert is finally finished at CBS. Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person. You could take any person off the street, and they would be better than this total jerk. Thank goodness he’s finally gone!” via The Hollywood Reporter.