John Oliver’s Emotional Tribute To Stephen Colbert Was Supposed To Be A Simple Late-Night Farewell — BUT The Unfiltered Final Jab Directed At CBS Seconds Before The Broadcast Ended Is What Has Viewers Calling It One Of The Most Defiant And Unforgettable TV Moments Of The Entire Year

John Oliver took an opportunity to doff his cap at fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert during the closing moments of Sunday’s Last Week Tonight. And he didn’t miss the chance to throw a jab at CBS at the same time.

While bidding goodnight to his viewers, Oliver informed them that his talk show wouldn’t be airing this week and added, “Please enjoy Colbert’s final shows! He’s the f‑‑‑ing best. Good night, and good luck, motherf‑‑‑ers!”

The cheeky last line was a callback to David Letterman’s visit to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last Thursday. During his appearance, the former Late Show host delivered his own parting message to CBS that invoked one of the network’s revered former journalists.

“In the words of the great Ed Murrow, good night and good luck, motherf‑‑‑ers,” Letterman signed off.

The visit was particularly bittersweet for Letterman, as it marked his final appearance on the series that he originated in 1993.

“I have every right to be pissed off, so I’ll be pissed off here a little bit,” Letterman told Colbert and the audience.

“You folks wouldn’t be at this theater if it weren’t for me, and Stephen wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. We built this theater and then Stephen came in here and, look at this, it’s like the Bellagio. But, as we all understand, you can take a man’s show, you can’t take a man’s voice, so that’s the good news,” he said.

Letterman also expressed concern for the future of late-night overall: “You know what I’m really worried about? What I’m really worried about is what will become of the Jimmys. Are they going to be all right?”

Colbert reassured him that late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel would be all right: “We’ve got a plan to put them in a captive breeding program.”

CBS announced last July that not only would Colbert’s iteration of The Late Show come to an end in May 2026, but the entire franchise would as well. While the network stated that the decision was purely financial, many skeptics have pointed to Skydance Media acquiring Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, as a cause, speculating that the new leadership wanted to stay out of the crosshairs of President Donald Trump. The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger on July 24, 2025, eight days after Colbert announced the show’s cancellation on air.

Colbert opened up about the shock of being canceled during an expansive “exit interview” published by GQ in November. He told GQ that he’d had a “great relationship” with CBS, which was why the news of his cancellation — delivered to him via his manager and not the network — was so “surprising and so shocking.”

“I was surprised. Listen, every show’s got to end at some time. And I’ve been on a bunch of shows that have ended,” Colbert said. “And that’s just the nature of show business. You can’t worry about that. You got to be a big boy about that. But I think we’re the first number one show to ever get canceled.”

But never let it be said that Colbert is going down without giving The Late Show the farewell it deserves.

The late-night host kicked off his second-to-last week on Monday by reuniting with fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver, a.k.a. Strike Force Five. During the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Colbert and his colleagues came together for a 12-episode podcast series, with the proceeds going to their employees, who were out of work as their shows went dark.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert airs at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT Monday through Thursday until May 21 on CBS.