Paul McCartney led an all-star line-up for the final episode of The Late Show as frontman Stephen Colbert bowed out after broadcaster CBS cancelled his show as it courted US President Donald Trump.
But one A-lister who eluded the comic to the end was the pope, whom Colbert, a devout Catholic, had long touted as his dream guest.
“The pope, who was definitely my guest tonight, has cancelled,” Colbert joked, blaming a dispute over hot dogs before McCartney appeared to rapturous cheers.
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The show, which Colbert has hosted since 2015, was axed after he mocked the broadcaster for a US$16 million settlement with Trump for allegedly “maliciously” editing an interview with his Democratic election rival Kamala Harris.
Colbert called it a “big fat bribe”.
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CBS has insisted the decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the ratings leader in the time slot, was purely financial – and that it was a coincidence the move came as CBS parent company Paramount lobbied for government approval of its US$8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.