Stephen Colbert brings unexpected final guest after Pope Leo 'cancels' appearance

Stephen Colbert brought in a surprise final guest to mark the show's closing episode in a memorable way after Pope Leo XIV "cancelled" his appearance.

​Midway through the finale of The Late Show, the 62-year-old host was joined by Beatles legend Paul McCartney as the final guest on the Thursday episode, which aired from New York City's iconic Ed Sullivan Theater.

​Before Stephen welcomed Paul onstage, he told the audience that his final guest was Pope Leo but he is not coming on stage beacause he refused to leave his dressing room.

​Then a comedy skit played showing Stephen begging a fake Pope Leo to leave his dressing room and the the imposter threw a hot dog in anger.

​Stephen then said, "The Pope - who was definitely my guest tonight - has canceled."

​He went on to say, "We already sent the other stars away. This is terrible. Who is going to be my last guest now?"

​Then Paul began to yell from behind the stage, saying, "Hey Stephen! What about me? I can do it."

​The audience, in shock, welcomed the musician with applause as Paul hugged Stephen.

​The star studded finale also featured appearances from Stephen's longtime pals and collaborators, including Jimmy Fallon, Paul Rudd, Seth Meyers, Bryan Cranston, and Jimmy Kimmel.

​Stephen Colbert wrapped up his late-night show on Thursday night, 10 months after he confirmed that CBS had decided to axe the show aired for 11 years.