Oprah Winfrey and Stephen Colbert Get Emotional Ahead of Latter's 'The Late Show' Exit
“When you and I are talking to each other, there's a third person in the conversation, and it's the audience right there.”
Updated April 8 2026, 5:38 p.m. ET
Oprah Winfrey & Stephen Colbert get emotional on 'The Late Show'
Oprah Winfrey took over as emcee during the Tuesday, April 7, episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The episode marked the renowned television personality’s fifth and final appearance as a special guest on the popular evening show. Oprah will be one of Stephen's final guests as the show prepares to wrap up next month.
Less than a year ago, CBS had left fans speechless when they announced that Stephen's satirical Late Show would end on May 21, 2026, after a decade-long run.
The announcement surprisingly coincided with CBS parent company Paramount's bid to President Donald Trump's administration to merge with Skydance. Fans of the show were not surprised by the news of Stephen, a vocal critic of President Trump, losing his job as the late-night show host.
The network recently announced that the designated slot will be replaced by Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen.
Stephen Colbert
During the April 7 episode of The Late Show, Oprah and Stephen looked back at their expansive careers as TV show hosts and reminisced about the fond memories of working together. Oprah thanked Stephen for being a host who made his viewers laugh. “Thank you so much for holding the space for laughter,” she said.
Stephen Colbert Lets Oprah Winfrey Take Over as Host
Ahead of the episode’s anticipated release, Stephen took to his social media account to spread the news. "The countdown to the final episode of @colbertlateshow continues! We’re celebrating the icons stopping by to say goodbye along the way, continuing tonight with Oprah Winfrey making her 5th appearance on #Colbert," he wrote.
Stephen Colbert and Oprah Winfrey during the April 7 'Late Show' episode.
Halfway through the episode, Stephen surprised his viewers and let Oprah take over as the host for some time. As he cozied up on the couch where his guests sit, Oprah asked, “What do you feel like in this moment you most want to release?”
After repeating the question and thinking for a moment, an emotional Stephen answered, “I don't want to let anything go yet because I still have... a white-knuckle grip on all these people who I love (and) who(m) I've worked with all these years.”
Oprah, whose show ended its run almost 15 years ago, agreed with him immediately. The duo discussed how everyone present at the set makes it possible for a show to have a successful run, including the audience.
An X post mentioning April 7's late-night guest list.
“The audience is a part of the show. And here's the thing. When I say, you know, all these years, it's been like 15 years for me now since the show was over. And I miss the audience. People think that you mean the applause, but that's not what you mean,” Oprah said.
Stephen chimed in, saying that he is so dependent on his audience that he needs an audience at all times. “When you and I are talking to each other, there's a third person in the conversation, and it's the audience right there,” he stated.
“I need an audience so much that if there's somebody I need to talk to like on a corporate level, let’s say I need to say something to someone at the head office that the conversation's not going to go that well, I will ask my assistant and like someone else who works there to come and sit on in the desk across from me so I have an audience to hear me have the phone call,” Stephen added.