As "The Late Show" ends,Jon Stewartis by his buddyStephen Colbert'sside.
The "Daily Show" host sat down with his longtime friend and collaborator on May 19 during the third-to-last episode of "The Late Show," whichwas canceled by CBSin July.
Stewart said he was there to "celebrate my friend" and the "joy" his show brought "to so many people," and he applauded the host for maintaining "such grace through this process."
He also mocked CBS for ending "The Late Show" and alluded to recent changes at the network's news division, where several journalists havedeparted roles at "CBS Evening News"and "60 Minutes" following Bari Weiss' hiring as editor-in-chief.
"I just think it's so smart what CBS is doing," he said sarcastically. "I just think it's such a good move, to take this show off the air, and then to also ruin your evening news, and then reduce '60 Minutes' to, like, six good ones. Here's what I believe they're doing: I think they're tanking for a draft pick."
Later, Stewart got in another dig at CBS when he mentioned his 92-year-old mother. "In five more years, she'll be CBS' target demographic," he joked.
A farewell to 'Late Show'sStephen Colbert, TV's gallant comic avenger
With just two days until the final "Late Show," Stewart spoke with Colbert about his own experience of being fired, joking that "it's the best!" In 1995, Stewart's "The Jon Stewart Show" was canceled, and he also voluntarily stepped away from "The Daily Show" in 2015 before returning in 2024.
The comedian relayed the "profound" advice he received fromDavid Lettermanafter his show was canceled: "Don't confuse cancellation with failure," though Stewart joked the former "Late Show" host also told him that "in this case, it is also a failure."
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Stewart hosts the Monday episodes of "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central, which has the same parent company, Paramount Skydance, as CBS. "You now are the only person in the corporation left in late night," Colbert told Stewart. "Good luck!" Stewart found this "chilling" but quipped that his only "saving grace" is that "I don't think Trump has cable."
Paramount said in July that canceling "The Late Show" was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night." But critics alleged the move was intended to appease the Trump administration amid a merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media, which required Trump administration approval.
The Writers' Guild of Americasaid last year it had"significant concerns that 'The Late Show's' cancelation is a bribe, sacrificing free speech to curry favor with the Trump Administration as the company looks for merger approval." The merger was completed in August.
After praising Colbert as a "tremendous human, and one of my favorite people," Stewart presented Colbert with a gift: a pair of luxurious reclining chairs, to show him "the life you can lead, and the life that I am leading, now that I am not really in show business."
Stephen Colbertsays CBS might have 'saved my life' with cancellation
Colbert rose to prominence working with Stewart as a correspondent on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," which led Colbert to get his own spinoff, "The Colbert Report," in 2005. Stewart was a cocreator of "The Colbert Report," which for years aired directly after "The Daily Show" until Colbert moved to "The Late Show" in 2015.
Stewart has appeared on "The Late Show" many times, including after he left "The Daily Show" in 2015. At one point, he and Colbert had a running joke that Stewart lived under Colbert's desk, so he would pop up whenever he had thoughts to share on the news. Stewart is also a producer on "The Late Show."
Colbert now has just two episodes of "The Late Show" remaining. On May 20, Bruce Springsteen will stop by for a performance, and Colbert will take his own "Colbert Questionert," a series of lighthearted questions, "featuring special guests." The series finale of "The Late Show" is scheduled for May 21, though no guests for the final show have been announced.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Jon Stewart slams CBS, reunites with Stephen Colbert on 'Late Show'