Stephen Colbert Late Night Goodbye Gets Star-Studded Sendoff With Strike Force Five Reunion

The Stephen Colbert late night era at CBS is winding down, and the host is making sure it ends with a bang rather than a whimper. With only days left before The Late Show signs off for good, Colbert pulled out one of the best cards in his deck and reunited his closest friends in the business for a memorable night of television.

Joining him on stage were John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon. Together, the group calls themselves Strike Force Five, a name they coined back in 2023 when they launched a podcast during the writers’ strike to support their out-of-work staff.

For one night, late night felt like a family reunion. And the family had plenty to say.

A Late Night Era Coming to a Close

Colbert’s final episode is scheduled for May 21, after CBS officially canceled the show citing financial reasons. The network’s explanation has not satisfied many fans, who have long suspected politics played a role given Colbert’s relentless on-air mockery of President Trump.

His monologue from the reunion night fit right in with that pattern, taking aim at the president once again and showing exactly why he has become such a polarizing figure in the eyes of conservative critics.

“Late night is in a bit of a weird spot right now, spoiler alert,” Colbert told viewers. He joked that having five major hosts on one stage was risky business because they represented so much of the genre at once. He even named Jon Stewart of The Daily Show as the “designated survivor,” because, as he put it, someone needed to stick around for the president to be mad at.

Strike Force Five Rides Again

The reunion brought back the easy chemistry that made the original Strike Force Five podcast such a hit. That show ran for 12 episodes during the 2023 writers’ strike, with all proceeds going directly to the staff members of the five late night programs the hosts represent.

The vibe on Colbert’s stage felt much the same. Less formal, more like five friends ribbing each other and unpacking the strange industry they all share.

And in a surprise announcement at the end of the night, Colbert revealed that Strike Force Five is officially getting back together. The crew is set to record an “emergency” podcast, this time on video, on May 13.

Kimmel Calls Out the Fans

Jimmy Kimmel did not hold back during the reunion. He pointed out something that has been bothering him about how fans have responded to Colbert’s cancellation. When Kimmel himself was briefly pulled off the air by Disney and ABC last September, viewers protested by canceling their Disney Plus subscriptions in droves.

That kind of grassroots backlash, Kimmel noted with a smirk, has not happened in defense of Colbert. Paramount Plus subscriptions, in other words, are seemingly safe.

Kimmel’s own time off the air came after he made comments about the “MAGA gang” trying to gain political mileage in the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA. More recently, President Trump called for Kimmel’s cancellation again after the host made what Kimmel described as a “light roast” of First Lady Melania Trump.

When Comedy Becomes a Presidential Issue

One of the more reflective moments of the night came when Colbert asked his fellow hosts whether they ever imagined, back when they were starting out in comedy, that their jobs would one day draw such intense reactions from a sitting president.

Kimmel had perhaps the best response. He shot back that the weirder part was having a job the president’s wife has strong feelings about.

Seth Meyers chimed in with his own observation. He joked that he appreciates how the president always posts about the late night shows right when they air. At the very least, Meyers said with a grin, it shows that someone in the White House is still watching linear television.

It was the kind of insider humor that landed because it was rooted in something genuinely strange. These hosts have become regular targets of presidential commentary, something none of them signed up for when they got into comedy.

Why This Reunion Hits Different

What made the night feel special was not just the celebrity wattage on stage. It was the sense that an era really is ending. Traditional late night television, with its broadcast network monologues and house bands, has been under pressure for years. Streaming, social media clips, and podcasts have all chipped away at the format.

Colbert’s exit feels like a turning point. Whether the genre survives in any meaningful way, or whether shows like Kimmel’s and Fallon’s and Meyers’ will follow eventually, remains a real and open question.

That uncertainty hung over the reunion, but the hosts handled it with the kind of self-aware humor that has long defined their work. They acknowledged the awkward moment late night is in while also reminding viewers why these shows have mattered in the first place.

The Case for Late Night

At one point Colbert directly asked his guests to make the case for late night television continuing to exist at all. It was a heavy question, but the answers came back in the form of jokes, stories, and reminders of how the format has evolved over decades to keep pace with American culture and politics.

Whether or not the case was convincing depends on the viewer. But for fans of the genre, hearing five of its biggest names share a stage felt like both a tribute and a quiet act of resistance.

What Comes Next

Colbert still has a few episodes left before the lights go down on May 21. The Strike Force Five podcast revival on May 13 will give fans another chance to see the group together, and possibly a clearer hint of where each of them goes from here.

For now, the Stephen Colbert late night farewell tour continues, and judging by the reunion episode, he plans to go out swinging, laughing, and surrounded by the friends who have shared the strange ride with him.