The Monroe Migration: A Return to Public Access
The timing was not accidental. During his farewell monologue on Thursday, Colbert reminded his audience that his 2015 dry run for “The Late Show” took place at a public access station in Monroe, Michigan, playing to just 12 people. He quipped that given the current state of show business, that was likely where he would appear next.
He was not joking.
On Friday night, Colbert resurfaced in the 11:35 p.m. time slot, joining hosts Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson. The episode leaned into a surreal, DIY aesthetic, featuring a guest list that contrasted sharply with the production’s homespun feel. Detroit native Jack White served as the volunteer music director, utilizing a boombox and a reel-to-reel, while actors Jeff Daniels and Steve Buscemi made appearances.
Buscemi appeared in a comedic pre-recorded commercial for a local pizza shop called Buscemi’s, though he clarified he had no actual connection to the establishment. Other segments included an overly detailed discussion on chili cheese dogs with Jack White and a cooking demonstration where Jeff Daniels taught Colbert how to assemble a pita sandwich from random refrigerator leftovers.
“It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV, so I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount,”
Colbert, guest host of Only in Monroe
The episode ended in staged chaos. After receiving permission from “the fire marshal”—a FaceTime call with Eminem—Colbert, White, and Daniels dismantled the makeshift set and hauled it to a dumpster to be burned.
“Stephen, Marshall here, you’re absolutely clear to burn that motherfucker down,”
Eminem, via FaceTime
The $8 Billion Merger and the CBS Exit
The transition to public access follows a tumultuous exit from CBS. The network canceled “The Late Show,” a 33-year-old franchise, as its parent company, Paramount, sought approval from the Trump administration for an “financial decision” regarding an $8 billion merger with the studio Skydance.
While CBS maintained the move was strictly financial, the decision sparked significant backlash. Critics alleged that the network was capitulating to political pressure, given Colbert’s role as a prominent critic of President Donald Trump. The merger had already been delayed for months following a lawsuit Trump filed against the CBS news program 60 Minutes over an interview with Kamala Harris.
The legal conflict ended last summer when Paramount agreed to settle the lawsuit by promising a $16 million donation to Trump’s future presidential library. Colbert did not mince words regarding the settlement, describing it as a big fat bribe
.
Political Warfare and the AI Dumpster
The animosity between the former host and the President extended into the digital realm. On Friday night, Trump posted an AI-generated video on Truth Social. The clip depicted Trump walking up behind Colbert on “The Late Show” set, throwing him into a dumpster, and dancing while a studio audience cheered.
This is part of a broader offensive by the President against late-night comedy. Over the past year, Trump has urged networks to fire hosts including NBC’s Seth Meyers and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel. He has also attempted to leverage the Federal Communications Commission to strip broadcast networks of their licenses.
Colbert’s move to a fragmented, multi-platform space—blending local access with celebrity cameos—serves as a direct counter-narrative to Trump’s public claims that Colbert was finished
and untalented. By migrating his presence to a DIY format, Colbert reframed his network exit not as a disappearance, but as a tactical shift.
The Fragmented Future of Late Night
The scale of Colbert’s network reach remains a benchmark. According to Nielsen data reported by Salon, the series finale of “The Late Show” drew 6.74 million viewers. The broadcast ran 20 minutes over its usual hour, featuring an all-star guest list that included Paul McCartney, Ryan Reynolds, and fellow hosts Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, and John Oliver.
As “The Late Show” vanishes from the schedule, its 11:35 p.m. slot on CBS will be filled by Byron Allen’s show, “Comics Unleashed.” Allen appeared via video call during Colbert’s Monroe episode, discussing the broader shifts currently reshaping television programming.
For Colbert, the immediate future involves a complete departure from the daily grind of the monologue. A devoted fan of the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, he is turning his professional focus toward writing the screenplay for the series’ next film.
The trajectory from the Ed Sullivan Theater to a Michigan dumpster summarizes the current state of the medium: a move away from the singular, monolithic network platform toward a more dispersed, hybrid model of entertainment.
