Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” Presents Final “Colbert Questionnaire” Ahead of Series Finale

On Wednesday night, “The Late Show” aired a special “Colbert Questionnaire” segment. Journalist John Dickerson introduced each guest, who posed a single light-hearted question to host Stephen Colbert. The lineup began with Billy Crystal, who asked about Colbert’s favorite sandwich, followed by Josh Brolin’s query on the scariest animal, Martha Stewart’s apples-versus-oranges dilemma, Mark Hamill’s autograph question, Ben Stiller’s memory prompt, Aubrey Plaza’s cats-or-dogs choice, and Robert De Niro’s numeric guessing game. Additional participants included Weird Al Yankovic, Jim Gaffigan, Tiffany Haddish, Evelyn Colbert, Amy Sedaris, James Taylor and Jeff Daniels. The segment concluded with Colbert recalling a childhood memory of his mother painting a bedroom while standing on a short ladder.

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The Wednesday broadcast served as the penultimate episode before the series finale of “The Late Show,” which is scheduled to air on Thursday, May 21, 2026. Network communications have not disclosed the guest roster for the finale, underscoring the Wednesday segment’s role as the final public showcase of the show’s signature interview format.

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Fourteen named participants appeared in the “Colbert Questionnaire.” The primary celebrity guests were Billy Crystal, Josh Brolin, Martha Stewart, Mark Hamill, Ben Stiller, Aubrey Plaza and Robert De Niro. Additional contributors included Weird Al Yankovic, Jim Gaffigan, Tiffany Haddish, Evelyn Colbert, Amy Sedaris, James Taylor and Jeff Daniels. Each guest asked a single, light-hearted question, prompting Colbert to share personal anecdotes and preferences.

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• Wednesday night – “Colbert Questionnaire” segment airs.

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• Thursday, May 21, 2026 – Series finale of “The Late Show” airs (guest list undisclosed).

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The segment illustrated the show’s long-standing blend of comedy, pop-culture reference and celebrity interaction. By featuring a diverse roster of high-profile guests in a rapid-fire format, the episode highlighted the program’s ability to draw prominent figures for informal dialogue, illustrating its established role in late-night television.

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Network communications confirm that the final episode of “The Late Show” will air on Thursday, May 21, 2026, and that the guest lineup for that broadcast has not been disclosed.

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• “The scariest animal to me is a trapdoor spider. Little sand, nothing wrong. They come out, and they pull you back in. Here’s the part that’s even scarier than that, Josh Brolin. A scientist named a trapdoor spider after me.” — Stephen Colbert, Host of “The Late Show.”

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• “You can’t put peanut butter on an orange. So I’m going to risk the wrath of the seraphim and say I will bite the apple.” — Stephen Colbert

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• “Dogs.” — Stephen Colbert

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• “Okay. Cause I thought it would’ve been 2.5 million. That’s the number of Epstein files Trump still hasn’t released.” — Robert De Niro, Oscar-winning actor

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• “I remember, I have a memory of my mom on a short ladder with her hair in a little scarf.” — Stephen Colbert

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