Stephen Colbert may be winding down his time behind The Late Show desk, but he’s not quite done with CBS just yet. Vulture is reporting that Colbert will guest star in the upcoming third season of Elsbeth, the network’s acclaimed crime anthology from Robert and Michelle King. The twist? He won’t be playing himself — Colbert will appear as Scotty Bristol, host of the fictional talk show Way Late With Scotty Bristol.
Colbert filmed the episode this week, according to Vulture, which first broke the story. While plot specifics remain under wraps, Elsbeth typically revolves around a murder-of-the-week structure, so it’s not yet clear how Bristol factors into the crime at hand. But the role appears to have been written specifically for Colbert, and it’s the result of a delightfully oddball origin.
Back in February, during an episode of The Late Show, Colbert jokingly told guest Wendell Pierce (star of Elsbeth) that he’d always wanted to play a corpse on one of CBS’ crime dramas. Pierce didn’t miss a beat: “I can make that happen,” he said, promising to connect the dots for Season 3. Colbert laughed, but, true to TV legend form, the handshake “deal” turned into an actual guest spot — and it came to fruition just in time for Colbert’s final lap at CBS.
Why Is Colbert Leaving CBS?
In case you missed it, Colbert recently announced that The Late Show will officially end its run in May 2026, marking not just the end of his tenure, but the retirement of the entire franchise. CBS will not replace him or reboot the show, making it a true curtain call for a format that dates back to David Letterman’s debut in 1993. “I’m not being replaced,” Colbert told his studio audience. “This is all just going away.”
CBS confirmed the move was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” citing shifts in viewing habits as audiences continue migrating to streaming and digital. But they made it clear Colbert wasn’t being pushed out — quite the opposite. “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time,” said CBS bosses George Cheeks, Amy Reisenbach, and David Stapf in a joint statement.
Colbert took over The Late Show in 2015 and led it to consistent #1 ratings, especially during the President Trump administration, blending satire and sincerity in a way that resonated deeply with viewers. Now, he’ll remain behind the desk for one final season — and moonlight in primetime as a fictional funhouse-mirror version of himself.
