(Screengrab via X/LateNighter)
John Oliver gave a public tribute to late-night ally Stephen Colbert as the credits rolled on Sunday’s edition of Last Week Tonight, demanding viewers tune in to Thursday’s Late Show finale and borrowing a pointed and profane barb at CBS.
In the final seconds of Oliver’s last broadcast before the finale is set to air, he praised the outgoing Late Show host in a shout-out.
“Please enjoy Colbert’s final shows — he’s the f*cking best,” Oliver told viewers.
“Good night, and good luck, motherf*ckers!” he added.
The signoff echoed Letterman’s appearance on The Late Show days earlier, when the former host offered a spin on legendary broadcaster Ed Murrow’s trademark farewell to deliver a jab at “the folks at CBS.”
The defiant snipe at executives overseeing CBS, who canceled Colbert’s show last year, came as Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of Oliver’s home network, HBO, also moves toward a merger with Paramount.
Late Nighter outlined Oliver’s professional history with Colbert, which stretches back over 20 years to when he worked under the host and Jon Stewart at The Daily Show. The outlet added, notably, that since Colbert took over The Late Show in 2015, Oliver has become the program’s most frequent guest, officially appearing 23 times, alongside multiple cameos and ensemble appearances.
Oliver was with Colbert last Monday during the “Strike Force Five” reunion, as he joined a special Late Show send-off that also brought together Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers.
CBS will pull the plug on the show on May 21 after announcing its cancellation last year.
The network said that it was ending the show’s multi-decade run for financial reasons — although critics have pointed out that the cancellation came after Colbert criticized parent company Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, which it finalized while seeking federal approval for a merger.
Watch above via HBO.
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