Stephen Colbert Makes Surprise Michigan Public Access Appearance After ‘Late Show’ Farewell
Stephen Colbert made a surprise appearance on a public access show in Monroe, Michigan, just two days after his final episode of The Late Show. The episode featured local culture and special guests, including Jack White and Jeff Daniels. Colbert's farewell episode drew significant viewership, highlighting his impact on late-night television.
- ▪Stephen Colbert guest-hosted an episode of Only in Monroe, a public access show in Michigan.
- ▪His final episode of The Late Show attracted 6.74 million viewers, one of the strongest farewell numbers in years.
- ▪The episode included appearances from Jack White and Jeff Daniels, and featured a humorous segment involving a pizza chain.
16 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 3 days. Coverage spans 4 points on the political spectrum — 6 lean left, 5 centre, 1 lean right, 3 right.
- ▪ Stephen Colbert Hosts Only in Monroe — kottke.org
- ▪ Stephen Colbert follows up Late Show finale by hosting Michigan public access program — Boing Boing
- ▪ Why CBS Sent Takedown Notices for Stephen Colbert’s ‘Only in Monroe’ Episode — TheWrap
- ▪ Stephen Colbert takes jab at CBS, Paramount with surprise TV return — 1 day after final ‘Late Show’ episode — Page Six
- ▪ Stephen Colbert’s Surprise Appearance on Michigan Public-Access Show Erupts in Online Brouhaha — The Hollywood Reporter
- ▪ Stephen Colbert Returns To TV On Michigan Public Access One Day After ‘Late Show’ Cancellation — Decider
- ▪ Watch Stephen Colbert make surprise return to TV on Michigan public access station with Jack White — NME
- ▪ Colbert’s First TV Appearance After ‘Late Show’ Is On Public Access — Forbes — Business
- ▪ Stephen Colbert hosts Michigan public access broadcast with rocker Jack White — night after final ‘Late Show’ episode — New York Post
- ▪ Colbert’s Sudden Return to Late Night? It Happened on Public Access. — NYT > Top Stories
- ▪ Stephen Colbert returns to TV in appearance on local Michigan station — CNBC — Top
- ▪ Stephen Colbert Already Lands New Hosting Gig On Michigan Public Access — Kotaku
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| Original publisher | Billboard |
| Canonical URL | https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/stephen-colbert-public-access-only-in-monroe-1236255765/ |
| Publication time | Sun, 24 May 2026 07:33:25 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-24T07:37:31.206Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-24T07:37:31.206Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
| Summary source text | contentText |
| Citation coverage | Summary is a WeSearch-generated derivative; primary citation is the original publisher URL. |
| Cluster | Q67v7ItzLiJZ · 18 stories |
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| Ranking reason | Story pages are not engagement-ranked. Hub feeds use recency, with optional source-diversified chronological ordering (cap consecutive stories per source). No personalized ranking. |
| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
| Substitutes article? | No — link-out required for full text |
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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 21: Stephen Colbert arrives at Paley Fest LA 2024 - "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" at the Dolby Theatre on April 21, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images Trending on Billboard if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() { pmcCnx({ settings: { plugins: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 2, } } }, playerId: '4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed', playlistId: 'b7dab6e5-7a62-4df1-b1f4-3cfa99eea709', }).render("connatix_contextual_player_div"); }); } else { // This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it's event time.
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