A day after Stephen Colbert and David Byrne burned down The Late Show with a Talking Heads cover, Bruce Springsteen stopped by the series’ penultimate episode to perform his new protest song “Streets of Minneapolis.” He also told the owners of CBS, the station that airs The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, to kick rocks.
“I’m here in support tonight for Stephen because you’re the first guy in America who lost his show because we got a president who can’t take a joke,” said the Boss. “And because Larry and David Ellison feel like they need to kiss his ass to get what they want. Anyway, Stephen, these are small-minded people. They have got no idea what the freedoms of this country are supposed to be about.”
In 2025, CBS said it would end The Late Show, chalking up the cancellation to “a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” However, the timing of the announcement followed the Trump-supporting Ellisons’ takeover of CBS parent company Paramount, and struck most as a way to silence Colbert, a frequent critic of the administration.
The final episode of The Late Show premieres tonight (May 21). Springsteen and his E Street Band are currently wrapping up their Land of Hopes and Dreams arena tour.