Amid some major controversy over his late-night tenure, Stephen Colbert is about to do a guest shot on Elsbeth that’s literally tailor-made for him!
Stephen Colbert is all over the news lately, but not for reasons he’d want. The late-night host of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has been a dependable face for CBS since the series launched in 2015. Colbert is loved for his quick wit, great interview style and mockery of politics and his own network.
That included numerous shots against Paramount and CBS for what Colbert saw as capitulating in a multi-million dollar lawsuit President Donald Trump launched against the network in late 2024 for what Trump claimed was “false editing” over a 60 Minutes Interview with Kamala Harris.
Despite Trump winning the election, the lawsuit continued until CBS reached a settlement paying Trump $16 million. Colbert was upfront on his show, accusing CBS of agreeing to the payoff because it needed FCC approval for an upcoming merger between Paramount and Skydance Media.
Almost literally within hours of that joke, CBS announced that The Late Show would be ending its run in 2026, citing “financial reasons.” Colbert, of course, fired back on the show that he was being canceled because of his comments about CBS and Trump.
The fallout is continuing with various talk show hosts backing Colbert, who looks ready to spend his last year on the air cutting loose. Amid all that, Colbert has lined up a role on a major CBS hit that is perfect for him!
Who does Colbert play on Elsbeth?
Vulture broke the news that Colbert will guest star on an upcoming season 3 episode of Elsbeth as the host of a talk show called Way Late with Scotty Bristol. It’s unclear yet if this means Colbert will be playing the guest star killer or just a side character who interacts with Carrie Preston’s crime solver.
It’s easy to believe that this is the producers taking advantage of the news about Colbert for publicity. However, the production indicates the casting was made before the cancellation came about. It should be noted Colbert has been pushing for a guest star role for a while, as when both Carrie Preston and Wendell Pierce were guests on the show, he pressed each to talk producers into letting him appear with Pierce, saying “I’ll see what I can do.”
Colbert does have experience with crime shows, as before his late-night fame, he appeared in a 2005 episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent as a forger. His Elsbeth episode should be a fun turn on his usual persona and give Colbert a fun appearance as he continues the strange run of slamming his own network in his last months on the air.
Elsbeth season 3 premieres on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT on CBS before moving to Thursdays at 10/9c.
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