Stephen Colbert began his last week hosting the “Late Show” by nostalgically revisiting some unused graphics, including one that prematurely celebrated Hillary Clinton’s victory in the 2016 presidential race.
During a segment titled “Graphics Graveyard,” a nod to a Slack channel where “Late Show” staff discard ideas that don’t make the cut, Colbert showcased the Clinton graphic that had never been aired before.
The image portrayed a beaming Clinton as the “Winner” of the 45th presidential election, an outcome ultimately won by Donald Trump.
In response to Colbert highlighting the Clinton graphic, a member of the graphic team wryly commented, “Oh, grow up. It all worked out fine.”
Monday night’s episode, humorously dubbed “The Worst of the Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” also featured other rejected graphics, sketches, and past gags that never found their way to television screens.
The other never-aired graphics included a “Thanksgiving porn magazine” called “Giblets” and a cover of “Martha Stewart Living” that read “Donner party or dinner party.”
Colbert’s nearly 11-year “Late Show” run will come to a close on Thursday, after more than 1,800 episodes on CBS.
Tuesday’s episode will feature “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, filmmaker Steven Spielberg and a special performance by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and Colbert.
Wednesday’s episode will feature unspecified special guests throughout the night and a performance from Bruce Springsteen. The finale’s programming remains unclear.
CBS’s decision to end “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” sparked uproar in the entertainment community and led to claims that Paramount Global was trying to appease Trump while finalizing its merger with Skydance Media.
The network has denied that political motivations fueled the choice, maintaining that the move was purely financial over the show’s reported $40 million annual loss.
Critics, including David Letterman and fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, have remained skeptical over the reasoning, particularly given Paramount’s efforts to secure regulatory approval for the Skydance deal.
Letterman, who launched “The Late Show” in 1993 and hosted it for more than two decades before Colbert took over in 2015, marched back into the Ed Sullivan Theater on Thursday and blasted the network’s decision to axe the late-night special.
The pair capped the blistering segment by tossing couches, office chairs, watermelons and a wedding cake off the roof of the landmark Manhattan theater.
Trump celebrated Colbert’s cancellation on Truth Social, writing that he “absolutely love[d] that Colbert got fired” while claiming the comedian had less “talent” than his ratings.