Conan O’Brien stopped by “The Late Show” on Monday night to remind Stephen Colbert of some sage advice he offered before stepping away from the world of late-night four years ago. Colbert is about to become a late-night vet himself after CBS decided to end “The Late Show” in May 2026.
“Just as I was leaving my late-night show, I took you and all the other late-night hosts out,” O’Brien began. “Remember this? I took you to a wonderful Sizzler restaurant, and we all had our trays and I told you guys, ‘Take care of late night. If you take care of late night, late night will take care of you.’ I said, ‘Don’t do anything to ruffle any feathers.’ Remember? I said that. And I said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t speak truth to power.’ I said, ‘Cowardice is the way.’”
O’Brien joked that in his 28 years of being a late-night host, he “never read the news. I had a masturbating bear and a plastic dog. I didn’t even know who was president!”
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As the crowd howled with laughter, Colbert deadpanned, “Thanks for being here, Conan.”
On a more serious note, O’Brien told Colbert: “I, of course, adore you. I love you. I know you as a person and also a comedic force and, like a lot of people, I’m very sad that this chapter is ending.”
He added, “But I also want to say that you are going to do amazing things, you’re going to have a lot of fun. And the connection you have — and this isn’t just you, it’s Mr. Kimmel and Fallon, all these guys have — it’s very special. The connection you have with the audience, you’re taking with you. No one else owns that. That’s yours for the rest of your life.”
Late-night television is in the midst of a reckoning after Colbert’s “Late Show” was canceled and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” was taken off the air following the host’s comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. After Kimmel’s suspension was lifted last week, Colbert celebrated during his show, saying: “Our long national late nightmare is over … Come on! Wonderful news for my dear friend Jimmy and his amazing staff.”
Watch O’Brien’s full interview on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” below.
