Larisha Paul
Contact Larisha Paul on X View all posts by Larisha Paul May 20, 2026
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and musical guest David Byrne during Tuesday’s May 19, 2026 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Scott Kowalchyk /CBS Stephen Colbert has one night left before saying goodbye to The Late Show. Ahead of the series finale, scheduled for May 21, the host welcomed one of the show’s last musical guests for a fiery sendoff: David Byrne, performing Talking Heads classic “Burning Down the House.”
Bryne took the Late Show stage alongside his Why Is The Sky? band. The musicians jammed out in matching blue suits before being joined by Colbert in the same get-up. Flames raged on the screen behind them during the performance. It’s a fitting farewell.
CBS canceled The Late Show in July 2025, citing it as “purely a financial decision,” though it would be difficult to divorce the decision from Donald Trump’s frequent tirades against Colbert. Around the time of the cancellation, the network and its parent company, Paramount, agreed to a $16 million settlement with Trump over the editing of a 60 Minutes episode. This occurred as a specific merger between Paramount and Skydance Media was still awaiting approval by the Federal Communications Commission.
