“Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver paid tribute to late-night rival Stephen Colbert in the closing moments of his show that aired on Sunday.
“We’re off next week — back on May 31 — please enjoy Colbert’s final shows,” Oliver urged his audience during an episode that focused on the tactics of factoring companies and structured settlements. (See that main segment below).
“He’s the fucking best,” the comedian declared of his onetime “Daily Show” collaborator.
Then Oliver, a frequent guest on Colbert’s program, added: “Good night, and good luck, motherfuckers.”
The sign-off echoed a moment last week when former “Late Show” host David Letterman joined outgoing host Colbert to toss CBS-owned furniture off the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater, the show’s home.
Colbert asked Letterman if he had a message for viewers.
“Well, not necessarily to the audience, but to the folks at CBS,” replied Letterman, who has been a fierce critic of the network’s decision to cancel Colbert’s show, which will air for the final time this Thursday.
Then Letterman said: “In the words of the great Edward R. Murrow: good night and good luck, motherfuckers.”
CBS cited financial reasons when it announced in late July that it was canceling “The Late Show.”
But the timing raised eyebrows as Paramount Global was at that time seeking and later received Trump administration approval for its merger with Skydance.
It led to speculation that the anti-Trump Colbert was sidelined to grease the wheels of the deal, an idea Letterman leaned into heavily.
