Thursday’s episode was full of celebrity cameos, hidden among the audience.
Comedian and actor Bryan Cranston appeared first, joking during Colbert’s opening monologue that he was upset not to be one of the show’s final guests.
Actor Paul Rudd then interrupted the monologue to offer Colbert six bananas as a retirement gift, followed by a cut to actor and comedian Tim Meadows.
Comedian Tig Notaro, seated in the audience, said she wanted to witness a “historic event.” Actor Ryan Reynolds then appeared, also carrying bananas as a retirement gift.
His final interview was with British musician Paul McCartney, who gave Colbert a signed photo of The Beatles performing on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964, which was hosted at the same venue as the “Late Show.”
During a sci-fi-themed segment in which a “wormhole” opened up backstage, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson made a cameo appearance.
Last on the list were his late-night colleagues, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers.
