As Stephen Colbert prepares a final sendoff for the Late Show on CBS May 21, the program is planning a slew of late night A-listers next week.
David Letterman, who launched the program in 1993 before handing the reins to Colbert in 2015, will be a guest on the Thursday, May 14 episode.
Monday’s episode, May 11, will feature a reunion of the “Strike Force Five,” when the active late night hosts all teamed for a podcast to benefit striking writers in 2023. Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers & John Oliver will appear on the Late Show that evening. Kimmel will be in town for Disney’s upfront presentation, scheduled for Tuesday.
Letterman, meanwhile, called CBS executives “lying weasels” about the decision to cancel the show in an interview earlier this week. He has only made one appearance on the show since stepping down, back in 2023.
Other guests include Late Show favorites like Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tom Hanks, while former President Barack Obama (a guest this week) will “The Colbert Questionert” on Wednesday.
Colbert graces the cover of The Hollywood Reporter’s New York issue, which was released Wednesday. In the conversation, he said that those hosts were among the only people he wanted to talk to after he found out the show was being canceled.
“When I got canceled, the only other people I spoke to for days were those guys. I came up to my office [after making the announcement on-air] and flipped open my phone and we did a quick exchange. My favorite was Kimmel, who just said, ‘That’s a hell of an Emmy campaign.’ I said, ‘Busted.’ And then I think they might have laid bets on who was next. The other text I got was from Jon Stewart, like, “Whaaaaat?” I’m like, “Right back at you, buddy.” And then I closed my phone and gave it to my wife, Evie, and said, “Please don’t let me have this for several days.”
Colbert also appeared in a video where he answered questions from the other current and former late night hosts, including Jay Leno.
CBS canceled The Late Show in a stunning and surprise move last summer.