Was the pope Colbert's last interview? 'Late Show' gags audience

Chicago's finest couldn't make it to the final "Late Show," so a lad from Liverpool will just have to do.

There had been speculation that Stephen Colbert, a devout Catholic, might have booked Pope Leo XIV for the finale of "The Late Show," which he played into with a fakeout gag in his farewell episode Thursday, May 21. After coming back from a commercial break, Colbert acted like he was about to bring out the pope for an interview, only to learn that his holiness was refusing to come out of his dressing room because "we got him the wrong snacks."

In media interviews, Colbert had described the pope as his "white whale" guest.

"The pope, who was definitely my guest tonight, has canceled!" Colbert said. "Who's going to be my last guest now?"

"Hey, Stephen, what about me?" Beatles legend Paul McCartney perked up as the real final guest.

McCartney's appearance was notable in that New York's Ed Sullivan Theater, the home of "The Late Show," was the site of the band's first American performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" back in 1964. "It's always fantastic to come back here," he said.

Why did Stephen Colbert get cancelled?

The end of "The Late Show" arrives due to what CBS has described as "purely a financial decision," though critics of the move have long questioned if the cancellation of his show was politically motivated. The move marks a major shift in the late-night comedy landscape and a troubling sign for a format that has been a television staple for decades.

But despite all the controversy, Colbert chose to go out on a joyful, celebratory note full of gags, cameos and McCartney closing out the show with a performance of "Hello, Goodbye" with musical guest Elvis Costello, former band leader Jon Batiste and current band leader Louis Cato.

Contributing: Kelly Lawler and Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY