May 20, 2026 6:30pm PT

Stephen Colbert: From Interviewing John Lewis to Hosting at Home During COVID, These Six Moments Defined His ‘Late Show’ Tenure

Cynthia Littleton

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Cynthia Littleton

Business Editor

@Variety_Cynthia

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CBS

When Stephen Colbert stepped behind the desk of CBS’ “The Late Show” on Sept. 8, 2015, viewers didn’t entirely know what to expect.

Colbert had spent the previous 10 years playing a bombastic Bill O’Reilly-type commentator on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” With the move to CBS, Colbert let loose with his own personality.

Eleven seasons and more than 1,800 episodes later, CBS is pulling the plug, and Colbert will vacate the Ed Sullivan Theater after his final show on May 21. From the rise of Trump (twice) to the pandemic to the Jan. 6 riot, Colbert helped everyday Americans process this most disruptive period of culture and politics. Here are six “Late Show” moments when Colbert more than rose to the occasion.

Joe Biden interview

Image Credit: CBS via Getty Images

Sept. 10, 2015

Then-VP Joe Biden appeared on the third episode, barely two months after the death of his son Beau Biden from cancer. Colbert gently asked him to tell a story about Beau, and shared his debilitating grief at the loss of his father and two older brothers in a plane crash when Colbert was 10. This emotional episode demonstrated Colbert’s emerging skill as an interviewer. And it set a tone that this “Late Show” could make room for serious stuff.