Strike Force Five reassembled on Mondayโsย โThe Late Show With Stephen Colbert.โStephen Colbertย joined โLate Nightโย hostย Seth Meyers, โLast Week Tonightโย hostย John Oliver, โLive!โ hostย Jimmy Kimmelย and โThe Tonight Showโ hostย Jimmy Fallonย โ aka the late-night podcast crew, Strike Force Five โ for the final time before Colbertโsย last show on May 21.Colbert introduced the crew as โfour of my best television friends and co-hosts of the awards-ignored podcast,โ who immediately started the pandemonium onstage. Sitting on the couch, Kimmel explained the groupโsย Writers Guild of America 2023 strikeย origin story.
โStrike Force Five is and always will be a group of five individuals who went on strike along with their writers, who were paying their writers,โ Kimmel said. โSo we did a podcast that paid a tiny portion of that. We did 12 episodes.โ
Colbert decreed the podcast group would do โan emergency episodeโ directly after the show.
Kimmel jokingly wonders why no oneโs canceling Paramount+ over Colbert cancellation
Colbert led a discussion about the future of late-night TV, asking the hosts to make their case for the hallowed but struggling institution in 2026.
Kimmel said, โLook at the figures. The fact of the matter is, more people are watching late-night television now than, and I know everybody gets crazy, when Johnny Carson [was on].โ
Kimmel said the numbers from TV, and sources like YouTube, โadd up.โ As proof of strength, Kimmel pointed out that when ABC parent companyย Walt Disney took him off air in 2025ย for comments he made about the killing of Charlie Kirk, โpeople canceled Disney+โ in protest.
This led Kimmel to jokingly wonder why fans are not similarly canceling subscriptions to Paramount+ to protest the โLate Showโ cancellation. โWhy arenโt you people canceling Paramount+? Because you didnโt have it in the first place?โ he quipped.
โLate night is one of those things that has been around our whole lives. Itโs part of our lives,โ said Fallon. โPeople want to go to sleep having a good laugh, and go to bed happy.โ
Late-night hosts on facing Trumpโs wrath, Kimmelโsย Melania Trumpย controversy
All the hosts agreed they never expected to attract the attention of the president.ย President Donald Trumpย is a regular hate-watcher and social media commentator, who frequently calls for all of the major late-night hosts to be fired.
โYou know whatโs even weirder? Weโre doing a job that his wife has strong feelings about,โ said Kimmel.ย First lady Melania Trump slammedย Kimmel last month for jokingly calling her an โexpectant widowโ on his show.
โMost of us have avoided that part,โ Meyers quipped to Kimmel, while Oliver said itโs โamazing to get a group text from [Kimmel] saying โOh boy,โ and then a picture of Melania mad at him,โ referencing the Strike Force Five text message chain.
Meyers pointed out that Trump is one of the remaining holdouts watching late-night shows at their scheduled time, before condemning the shows on social media.
โI appreciate that he is watching linear television,โ said Meyers. โIf I would make my case for late night, itโs that leaders of the free world are watching it when it airs.โ
Late-night hosts sad, outraged about end of โThe Late Showโ
Kimmel jokingly told Colbert that โthereโs a whole world out thereโ beyond late night, which he learned during his brief suspension last year. He also expressed โoutrageโ about Colbert being โthrown off the air,โ saying, โIโm waiting for angry Stephen to come out. I want to see you go nuts!โ
When Colbert pointed out that โThe Late Showโ started after every other show, and was canceled first, Kimmel had a striking comparison.
โItโs like when your young wife dies,โ Kimmel said. โItโs sad, is what Iโm saying. Itโs such a tragedy.โ
Fallon said, โItโs a bummer because I wanted to do this longer with you.โ But Colbert said he can always be a guest on one of his fellow hostsโ shows, and Kimmel took it a step further: โYou can host my show!โ
Which late-night hosts made out with a guest?
The show ended with a game of Strike Force Five confessions, which included admitting which host had made out with one of their guests.
Kimmel admitted to kissingย Regis Philbin. โNot only did I kiss Regis, but he chewed my gum,โ he said.
Colbert admitted to a slew, including Helen Mirren, Sally Field, Allison Janney, Jeff Daniels and Andrew Garfield. โJane Fonda and I did not make out, but she stuck her tongue in my ear,โ said Colbert.
As Strike Force Five moved in for a final group hug on Colbertโs desk, the departing host announced a new video episode of the podcast will be available on Wednesday, May 13.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:ย Stephen Colbert assembles Strike Force Five on โLate Show,โ talk Trump
