Watch: Colbert Admits He's Been Crushed by Gutfeld in Rare Funny Joke During Final Show
It only took 11 years, but late-night liberal comedian Stephen Colbert finally discovered humor.
During Thursday night’s franchise finale of CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson joined Colbert for a skit that poked fun at the host while also acknowledging the late-night dominance of comedian Greg Gutfeld, host of Fox News’ “Gutfeld!”
“You see the fabric of the universe is underpinned by an immutable set of physical laws,” Tyson said in a clip posted to the social media platform X.
The astrophysicist then took a subtle jab at CBS for cancelling the show despite Colbert’s relatively strong ratings. According to a report from July 2025, notwithstanding those ratings, Colbert’s show cost the network $40 million annually.
“Two contradictory realities cannot coexist without rupturing the space-time continuum,” Tyson added.
“Like what?” Colbert asked.
“Well, for instance, if a show is number one on late night, and it also gets cancelled,” the scientist replied.
At that point, it appeared as if Colbert used the skit to express sour grapes over his show’s cancellation.
The punchline, however, more than justified the setup.
“They cancelled ‘Gutfeld!‘?!?” an alarmed and indignant-sounding Colbert replied.
In his final show, Stephen Colbert admits he was, in fact, getting trounced in the ratings by @greggutfeld.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson: Two contradictory realities cannot coexist without rupturing the space-time continuum.
Colbert: Like what?
NDT: For instance, if the show is #1 on… pic.twitter.com/ot2qmaYeuF
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 22, 2026
According to the late-night-focused news outlet LateNighter, “Gutfeld!” led all of late-night comedy with an average of 3.3 million viewers during the first quarter of 2026.
Colbert, whose show aired an hour and a half later, averaged 2.7 million viewers, narrowly edging out Jimmy Kimmel of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and his 2.5 million viewers for second place. Moreover, Gutfeld’s viewership increased by 16 percent over 2025’s fourth quarter, whereas Colbert’s remained “flat.”
Of course, had he learned from late-night legend Johnny Carson, Colbert could have told such non-partisan, self-deprecating jokes all along. In that event, he would have attracted a larger audience, and CBS likely would not have cancelled the entire “Late Show” franchise.
Instead, Colbert chose nightly attacks on President Donald Trump — attacks that grew tedious long before CBS pulled the plug.
Colbert also refused to direct his brand of “comedy” against liberals. When Democrats held power, for instance, the comedian-turned-propagandist shilled for the establishment.
For his part, Trump gleefully celebrated Colbert’s departure. And who could blame the president?
Comedy, of course, only works when it exposes truth via irony, mockery, absurdity, or some other technique. Colbert failed to learn that lesson until the very end.
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