As Stephen Colbert’s tenure on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert begins to wind down, the show has taken on an increasingly celebratory tone, with guests finding creative ways to show their appreciation for the longtime host. Monday night was John Mulaney's turn.
Previously, we've seen songs and poems dedicated to Colbert as the show leans into his final days behind the Late Show desk before things end on May 21. Fellow late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon visited the Ed Sullivan Theater to sing a song, as did Bette Midler with a Lord of the Rings-inspired tune. John Lithgow got in on the act recently with a poem he penned for the outgoing comedian.
Despite his musical prowess, Mulaney went with a different approach on Monday night. At the end of his interview, he handed Colbert an envelope. The Late Show host was shocked and amused to find a check for $750 inside.
Mulaney, leaning fully into the bit, downplayed the gesture. “I don’t want to make a big deal out of it,” he said, before delivering the punchline: “but you won’t have a job soon.”
The comedian framed the check as something of a safety net for Colbert’s uncertain future, joking that while the host has likely saved plenty, the money could come in handy for life’s next chapter. "This is so if you go, ‘Should I get the new suit for the job interview?’ Get it!” Mulaney suggested. If not, the former Saturday Night Live writer told Colbert to take his wife out with the money.
Of course, Colbert doesn't need the money despite losing his job later this spring. His net worth stands at a reported $75 million. And he is already busy working on his next chapter, recently announcing that he's developing a new Lord of the Rings movie.
So now there has been a new bar set when it comes to Late Show guests giving Colbert a present. Songs have been done, so fans will expect something different. Mulaney's bit is a solid one and should set a pretty good challenge for future comedians visiting Colbert in his final days of late-night TV.
Chances are that Mulaney won't be back on The Late Show before the curtain falls for the final time. His "Mister Whatever" tour will take him around the world and the US for most of the spring. But the stand-up comedian did exactly what he needed to do for a goodbye to both Stephen Colbert and the Late Show.