‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Finale Attracts 6.74 Million Viewers, Its Most-Watched Weeknight Episode Of All Time

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Coverage diverges significantly in tone and focus. The New York Post criticized the finale as unmemorable and lacking emotional depth, emphasizing a negative assessment of Colbert's tenure. In contrast, outlets like The New York Times, The…

Michael Schneider· May 22, 2026 · 8:16 PM UTC ·3 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 35 views

‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Finale Attracts 6.74 Million Viewers, Its Most-Watched Weeknight Episode Of All Time

#television #entertainment #ratings

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

The series finale of 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' achieved a record viewership of 6.74 million, making it the most-watched weeknight episode in the show's history. This figure significantly surpasses the show's average viewership of 2.69 million in early 2026. The finale featured surprise guest Paul McCartney and concluded with a performance of 'Hello Goodbye.'

Key facts

▪The finale attracted 6.74 million viewers, the highest for a weeknight episode.
▪This viewership is a notable increase from the show's 2026 Q1 average of 2.69 million.
▪The episode featured Paul McCartney and included a performance with other celebrity guests.

How this story was covered

5 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 3 hours. Coverage spans 2 points on the political spectrum — 3 lean left, 1 right.

Lean left · 3Right · 1

▪ Stephen Colbert’s Final ‘Late Show’ Draws Most Weeknight Viewers of His Tenure — The Hollywood Reporter
▪ ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Ends Its Run With Most-Watched Weeknight Episode Ever — Deadline
▪ Colbert’s Final ‘Late Show’ Draws 6.7 Million Viewers — NYT > Top Stories
▪ Stephen Colbert’s final ‘Late Show’ wasn’t funny or emotional at all — just like his last 11 years — New York Post

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Original publisher	Variety
Canonical URL	https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert-finale-ratings-1236757376/
Publication time	Fri, 22 May 2026 20:16:05 +0000
Retrieval time	2026-05-22T20:32:02.974Z
Last seen	2026-05-22T20:32:02.974Z
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Cluster	TmNCnKurx8ei · 5 stories
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Publisher visit	Yes — open original
Substitutes article?	No — link-out required for full text

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Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.

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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

Home TV News May 22, 2026 1:16pm PT ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Finale Attracts 6.74 Million Viewers, Its Most-Watched Weeknight Episode Of All Time By Michael Schneider Plus Icon Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large franklinavenue Latest ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Finale Attracts 6.74 Million Viewers, Its Most-Watched Weeknight Episode Of All Time 13 minutes ago ‘Ghosts’ Finale: Star Richie Moriarty on What Happens to Pete and His Future on the Show 18 hours ago The Emmys Needed to Do Something About Talk and Scripted Variety, Even If the Result Was Something Just as Clunky 1 day ago See All Scott Kowalchyk /CBS The series finale of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” pulled off the series’ most-watched weeknight episode of all time, according to early data from…

Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Variety.

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