Stephen Colbert’s Late Show will air its final episode this Thursday, May 21, ending the popular talk show after over 30 years on air. Colbert hasn’t gone quietly, becoming delightfully unhinged as the Late Show’s finale draws closer.
The host dedicated Monday’s episode to showing Late Show sketches that were filmed but never aired. Titled “The Worst Of The Late Show,” it’s available on YouTube so fans can enjoy an hour of the “best worst stuff” the Late Show team produced.
“We thought we might just take it a little easy tonight,” said Colbert during a laid-back opening monologue. “We definitely have enough material for a ‘Best Of’ clip show. But y’all got YouTube. You do it.”
Eating steamed chicken with his hands, Colbert explained why some bits were rejected. The 2016 U.S. presidential election led to axing a joke involving painted butts. A 2023 Thanksgiving sketch advertising “erotic body gravy” was also cut for being too sexy.
“When I watched it, I said, ‘Those actors are way too attractive for comedy,'” Colbert explained. ‘You guys ended up just making softcore gravy porn.'”