Kicking off Monday’s show with a joke about Trump wanting to change the name of the Washington Commanders NFL team (the “Washington Epsteins,” Colbert suggested), he walked into the Ed Sullivan Theater to loud cheers and said “This is going to be fun.” It certainly was.

Adam Sandler, Anderson Cooper, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Andy Cohen were among those who made surprise appearances on Monday's episode after CBS announced that the late-night show would be ending in May 2026.

Colbert’s tenure at “The Late Show” began in September 2015, when he took over for original host, late night legend David Letterman. Colbert rose to fame as host of Comedy Central’s popular news satire show “The Colbert Report,” which ran from 2005 to 2014.

Signs like “I Support Colbert” were also waved by a group that reportedly calls itself Refuse Fascism. The protest comes after CBS revealed last week that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its run in May. Coverage and analysis of all the contenders and major award shows sent weekly during awards season.