Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' Finale Features Appearances by Late-Night Peers and David Letterman

CBS announced an all-star finale lineup for Colbert's 'Late Show' including David Letterman's return and a reunion with Fallon, Kimmel, Meyers, and Oliver. The show concludes May 21 after Colbert's 11-year run.

Why post about this

This is the end of an era and a hard May 21 deadline — late-night TV as a format is functionally collapsing, and Colbert's exit with Letterman walking back through the door is the symbolic closing of the chapter. Cultural-history posts have a long tail; you can run this for two weeks.

Suggested angle

Don't eulogize Colbert — eulogize late-night itself. The Letterman cameo is the tell that this is the end of a 70-year television tradition, not just one host's exit.

Platform angles

Instagram · Carousel (8-10 slides): iconic Colbert moments + finale guests, final slide = Letterman walking through the Ed Sullivan Theatre door · The last desk. The last monologue. The last time late-night TV mattered the way it used to. May 21 isn't just Colbert's finale — it's the end of a 70-year run. · #LateNightTV #StephenColbert #EndOfAnEra #DavidLetterman #TelevisionHistory

Facebook_page · Single image with long-form caption (400–600 words) · Letterman walked back into the Ed Sullivan Theater last night, and it felt less like a reunion and more like a funeral. Not for Colbert — for late-night itself. · #LateNightTV #Colbert

Linkedin · Text-only post with line-break structure, optional follow-up carousel breaking down the economic shift · David Letterman walked back into the Ed Sullivan Theater last night for Colbert's finale. But this isn't a heartwarming reunion story. It's the closing of a $4 billion broadcast category that no longer works. Late-night TV — the 11:35pm appointment viewing that defined American comedy for 70 years — just died. Not because the hosts got worse. Because the business model collapsed underneath them. · #MediaBusiness #BroadcastTV #EntertainmentIndustry #DigitalTransformation #ContentStrategy

Tiktok · Vertical video montage with sad-pop audio track — Colbert highlights spliced with Letterman clips, date card reveal at climax · POV: Late-night TV died and nobody noticed until Letterman walked back through the door one last time 💔 · #StephenColbert #LateNightTV #DavidLetterman #EndOfAnEra #TVHistory

Youtube · Long-form video essay (8-12 minutes) with archival clips, thumbnail showing Letterman + Colbert side-by-side with text 'The End' or '1954-2025' · The night late-night TV died: why Letterman walking back through that door means more than goodbye · #LateNightTV #StephenColbert #DavidLetterman #TelevisionHistory #MediaAnalysis

X · Single tweet · Letterman walking back into the Ed Sullivan Theater isn't a cameo — it's a funeral. Late-night TV as a format just died, and everyone showed up to witness the burial of a 70-year tradition. · #LateNight #Colbert

Bluesky · Thread (4-5 posts) · Letterman walked back onto the Late Show set last night and it felt like watching a format die in real time. Not Colbert's show — the whole 70-year tradition. · #LateNight #Television #Colbert

Mastodon · Thoughtful text post with follow-up thread for historical context · Letterman walked back onto the Late Show set last night. Not as a guest — as a witness. When the guy who *invented* modern late-night returns to mark the end, you know it's not just Colbert leaving. It's the whole format signing off. · #LateNight #Colbert #Letterman #TVHistory #MediaShift

Original source: Multi-source