Just 23 hours after ending his tenure on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert returned to TV — on Michigan public access of all places.
Colbert served as Friday night’s guest host of Only in Monroe, the regularly airing segment on Monroe Community Media. If you’re a proper Colbert history, he formerly hosted the show way back in 2015.
Said Colbert, “I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount.”
To truly make a show for the ages, Colbert recruited a few famous friends for the hour-long broadcast. Jack White delivered his very best deadpan to serve as DJ across the episode, Steve Buscemi busted out a pretty entertaining promo for Buscemi’s Pizza, and Jeff Daniels taught the world to make his signature zany sandwich that’d he revealed earlier this spring on The Late Show.
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But perhaps the best guest spot of them all was reserved for a proper Michigan legend, Eminem, who appeared as a local “fire marshal.” But rather than promoting good safety habits, it was Em who instructed the entire cast to absolutely obliterate the set at the episode’s climactic ending.
“Since they are no longer using this set, it would actually be helpful for me to destroy it,” Colbert said. “Which is pretty great news, because right now, for no particular reason, I would very much like to break something.”
Of course, Colbert also made time for some local Monroe-based coverage, including news about a deer being processed by a local hunter and the grand opening of a local dance studio. Colbert also joined up with the show’s actual hosts Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rafko-Wilson, for some fun. Together, the trio sucked down spirit shots from nearby River Raisin Distillery alongside helium chasers in celebration of Baumann’s cancer being in remission. Now, don’t let anyone tell you that local journalism doesn’t 1,000% still matter.
Colbert’s 11-year run at The Late Show ended on Thursday, May 21st with a star-studded affair (that was also an allegory for the importance of TV like this as well as a stance against the encroaching monoculture). If you haven’t been paying attention, CBS news announced the show’s ending last July; the corporate overlords cited “financial concerns” over the long-running production. However, it’s not kept secret that Donald Trump holds to the key to approving Paramount’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros.
Either way, Colbert spent his last week saying goodbye in several other ways, including throwing furniture off the roof of the Ed Sullivan Building with David Letterman and pointedly reminding his CBS execs that he no longer has any fucks to give
For even more Colbert goodbye goodness, be sure to read Liz Shannon Miller’s review of the final episode of The Late Show, revisit the 11 best Colbert Question interviews, and even see Colbert’s own answers to the 15 questions.
Check out the full episode below. Welcome back, Stephen, if only for one more hour.
