Stephen Colbert Makes Surprise Michigan Public Access Appearance After ‘Late Show’ Farewell

Two days after hosting the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS, Stephen Colbert made one more surprise appearance — this time on a public access show in Monroe, Michigan.

Colbert guest-hosted an episode of Only in Monroe that aired at 11:35 p.m. on Friday (May 22), the night after his CBS farewell drew 6.74 million viewers. The Michigan public access show, hosted by Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson — Miss America 1988 — had previously welcomed Colbert in July 2015, when he interviewed Eminem just months before taking over The Late Show from David Letterman.

Colbert had foreshadowed the return during Thursday’s finale, calling the 2015 Only in Monroe episode “technically our first show… for an audience of 12 people,” and quipping: “Show business being what it is these days, that’s probably where you’ll see me next.”

Friday’s episode leaned heavily into Michigan local culture, with Jack White serving as volunteer musical director. Actor Jeff Daniels appeared to make the peanut butter, hand-crumbled Ruffles and Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce sandwich he had described during a Late Show appearance in March. Steve Buscemi appeared in a public service announcement for Buscemi’s Pizza in Monroe — a Michigan chain he has no connection to — to clarify exactly that.

“All I know is Buscemi’s exists. I exist. We have the same name. And that’s where any connection ends,” he said. Colbert also had a quick FaceTime chat with Detroit native Byron Allen, who has taken over the Late Show timeslot with back-to-back episodes of his syndicated Comics Unleashed. The regular hosts joined Colbert in drinking shots of Cain & Grain whiskey from the River Raisin Distillery in Manchester.

The episode closed with Colbert, White and Daniels destroying the set — described as a version no longer used by the show — and burning it in a flaming dumpster.

Eminem, born Marshall Mathers in nearby St. Joseph, Michigan, appeared via video to give the fire marshal all-clear for the blaze. Colbert had joked he wanted official approval before proceeding.

Colbert’s 11-year run at The Late Show concluded Thursday with a finale that drew 6.74 million viewers — among the strongest late-night farewell numbers in years. The episode included a performance from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, tributes from former presidents and celebrities, and a final monologue in which Colbert reflected on the state of American democracy.

Only in Monroe had hinted at Colbert’s return in a recent Instagram post, though the episode’s filming date was not disclosed.