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‘He’s gonna make a little bit of Late Night history’: Stephen Colbert’s final 2 weeks of shows

For the final weeks of his show, host Stephen Colbert sent out an invitation that his rival hosts could not resist.

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“He’s gonna make a little bit of Late Night history on Monday night,” said TV Guide’s Matt Roush.

All of his friendly rivals, the other late night hosts, including Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, will be on “The Late Show” in a show of solidarity.

“They were all part of the ‘Strike Force 5’ podcast that they formed during COVID when the shows were shut down, and they all got together bonding on this podcast and raising money for their crews who were out of work,” Roush said.

This time, though, it’s because CBS is ending the show after the May 21 episode, blaming financial reasons after 33 years.

“I’m still in denial that he’s in the last two weeks of that show … there’s no good reason, although they say its financial,” Roush said.

Look for Broadway performers to also join in the farewell in the show’s remaining days.

A previous host of the late night circuit is also scheduled this week.

“David Letterman is going to drop by the theater where he reigned by something like 23 seasons. And so, that will be another moment of history when Letterman comes back to what we used to call the ‘Letterman Theater,'” Roush said.

Before that, it was the Ed Sullivan Theater, where the Beatles and so many others entertained viewers on Sunday nights.

And what happens to that Broadway theater after Colbert departs?

“I don’t know. It’s such a historic venue. I can’t imagine they won’t use it for something,” Roush said.

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ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen dies at 93 from the effects of Parkinson’s disease

LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. (AP) — Bill Rasmussen, who co-founded TV sports giant ESPN after hatching the idea for the world's first all-sports cable network with his son, died Tuesday. He was 93. ESPN historian Mike Soltys said Rasmussen died at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Rasmussen announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2014. “Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Bill’s passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s — key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day.” Rasmussen and his son Scott came up with the idea of a network carrying sports around the clock, and it would revolutionize Americans’ TV-watching habits. But the Rasmussens didn’t stick around long. They were forced out after only a year by ESPN majority owner Getty Oil.
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