Barack Obama encourages Stephen Colbert to run for president ahead of “Late Show ”final episode: 'The bar has changed'
Barack Obama encourages Stephen Colbert to run for president ahead of “Late Show ”final episode: 'The bar has changed'
Sharareh Drury, Raechal ShewfeltWed, May 6, 2026 at 5:23 AM UTC
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President Barack Obama and Stephen Colbert on May 5 'The Late Show' episodeCredit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBSKey Points -
Barack Obama appeared on the May 5 episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
The two had a conversation at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
The final episode for CBS' long-running program airs May 21.
Barack Obama is helping to send off The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
With just weeks to go before the long-running CBS program airs its final episode on May 21, the former president made presumably his last appearance, giving Stephen Colbert his props for helming the show for over a decade.
"I'm looking for a new gig soon, and a lot of people tell me I should run for president," Colbert said during their pre-taped interview from the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which opens June 19.
Obama told Colbert he had the look. When asked how dumb it was for people to encourage Colbert to seek the White House, Obama replied, "The bar has changed."
He chuckled and added, "Let me put it this way, I think that you could perform significantly better than some folks that we've seen."
When asked if that was an endorsement, Obama was quick to clarify that "it was not."
The 44th president also answered a serious question about what powers he believes the president should not have. He said the country would "have to do some work" to "return to this basic norm" and "probably now have to codify it."
President Barack Obama appears on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' on May 5Credit: scott Kowalchyk/cbs
For example, "The White House shouldn't be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting," Obama said.
At the end of his interview, Obama told Colbert, "Thank you for everything that you have done. I know we've only got a few shows left, but I know you're gonna make them count, because you always have."
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Obama previously appeared on Colbert's Late Show during his presidency in 2016 and returned in 2020 following the election.
CBS announced last July that the Late Show franchise would end after more than three decades, citing the decision as "purely a financial" one.
"The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season," CBS said in a statement. "We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television."
The statement continued, "This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount."
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When Colbert addressed the cancellation, he told an audibly upset audience that he shared their feelings, saying, "We get to do this show for each other, every day, all day, and I've had the pleasure and the responsibility of sharing what we do every day with you in front of this camera for the last 10 years."
"Let me tell you, it is a fantastic job," Colbert said. "I wish somebody else was getting it. And it's a job that I'm looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for another 10 months. It's going to be fun."
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert airs at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
on Entertainment Weekly
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