Stephen Colbert Breaks Social Media Silence, Returns 2 Months After The Late Show Ended

The final episode of the CBS late-night show aired on May 21

By Desiree Anello, Published on July 19, 2026 03:26PM EDT

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NEED TO KNOW

• Stephen Colbert returned to social media for the first time since The Late Show ended to wish his dog, Benny, a happy birthday on Sunday, July 19
  
• “Happy 7th birthday, Benny,” he wrote alongside a photo of his Boykin Spaniel
• The comedian’s pup was featured in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘s final episode

Stephen Colbert returned to social media to wish his dog, Benny, a happy birthday. 

Nearly two months after he said his final goodbye to The Late Show, the former late-night host, 62, shared his first post on social media. 

“Happy 7th birthday, Benny,” Colbert wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of his dark brown Boykin Spaniel lying on the couch. 

During The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘s final episode, which aired on May 21, celebrities including Paul McCartney, Bryan Cranston and Ryan Reynolds dropped in to deliver heartfelt tributes and to honor the 11 years Colbert spent as host. 

In the final moments of the episode, however, Benny played one of the most important roles. In one clip, Colbert and McCartney, 84, pulled a giant light switch at the Ed Sullivan Theater, causing the building to shrink into a snow globe. 

Viewers were then taken outside the theater at street level to see Benny come by to sniff the globe as the show’s theme song played in the background. 

“Come on, Benny. Let’s go,” Colbert said as he ended the show for good.

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CBS canceled The Late Show in July 2025, just days after Colbert criticized the network’s parent company, Paramount, for its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. (Trump sued CBS’ 60 Minutes, accusing the show of deceptively editing an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.)

The network has since claimed that canceling The Late Show was “purely a financial decision” and “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

Despite telling PEOPLE that he was initially in disbelief after hearing the news, Colbert emphasized that he looks back on the past decade with nothing but gratitude. 

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