Just two days after wrapping up his 11-year run on CBS, Stephen Colbert made a surprise television appearance on a local public access show in Michigan.
Following his highly watched farewell from The Late Show, which drew 6.74 million viewers on Thursday, Colbert guest-hosted Only in Monroe on Friday night. He previously visited the same Michigan program in July 2015, right before taking over his late-night network slot.
During his CBS finale, Colbert actually hinted at the surprise return. He joked that, since the 2015 public-access episode was technically his first show, returning to local television was probably where fans would see him next.
The special Friday broadcast leaned heavily into local Michigan culture. Jack White served as the volunteer musical director, while actor Jeff Daniels showed up to make a quirky peanut butter and barbecue sauce sandwich he had previously mentioned on The Late Show.
Steve Buscemi also made a humorous cameo, appearing in a public service announcement simply to clarify that he has no connection to a local Michigan pizza chain bearing his last name.
Later in the broadcast, Colbert shared a quick video chat with Byron Allen, who has taken over Colbert’s former CBS timeslot. The fun continued as Colbert and the regular hosts shared shots of local Michigan whiskey.
The episode ended with a chaotic finale. Colbert, White, and Daniels destroyed an old version of the show’s set and threw it into a flaming dumpster. Michigan native Eminem even made a video appearance to give the official fire marshal approval for the blaze, capping off Colbert’s wild transition away from network television.