On May 12, 2026, Stephen Colbert's show, which is nearing its end, saw a gathering of late-night show heavyweights Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver, or as they may put it, "best television friends." For months, late-night television has looked like the final scene of an old Rat Pack movie where everyone suddenly remembers they actually like each other. Ever since CBS announced that Stephen Colbert’s reign at 11:35 would end on May 21, fellow hosts have lined up behind him with the kind of public affection usually reserved for retiring baseball captains.

Now, with the clock ticking down on The Late Show, the gang reunited one more time under the Ed Sullivan Theater lights, proving that late night’s real currency has never been Nielsen charts. It has always been survival through sarcasm.

On the Monday night's episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert  welcomed what he called his “best television friends,” including Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver. Together, they revived the energy of Strike Force Five. It is the same podcast collective from Strike Force Five that they launched during the 2023 Writers Guild strike when Hollywood was running on picket signs, cold brew, and pure spite toward studio executives.

The chemistry immediately slipped back into that familiar rhythm. Colbert joked that late-night exists in “a weird spot right now,” before adding that gathering all five hosts together was dangerous because they represented so much of the format. Then came the Jon Stewart joke, with Colbert calling him the “designated survivor” so “someone has to survive for the president to be mad at.” 

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Somewhere behind the scenes, there is also the quiet possibility that Kimmel is helping Colbert navigate this ending more than viewers realize. Just in the old school late-night way, where comedians protect comedians while pretending they are only insulting each other.

In perhaps the clearest sign of respect possible in network television, Jimmy Kimmel Live will not air a live episode opposite Stephen Colbert’s May 21 finale. ABC will instead run a repeat despite live broadcasts filling the rest of the week. According to reports confirmed by PEOPLE after Late Nighter first broke the story, the decision was made in “deference to Colbert’s sendoff.”

At 11:35 p.m., every fraction of audience share is usually treated like a blood feud. Late-night history is full of icy rivalries, passive-aggressive booking wars, and network executives behaving like Roman emperors deciding who gets the better monologue camera angle. For Kimmel to effectively step aside on Colbert’s final night feels less like strategy and more like tribute.

As Colbert prepares to sign off for the final time, the reunion served as a reminder that late-night television was never only about celebrity interviews or viral clips. It was about comedians building a nightly clubhouse where cynicism and sincerity somehow shared the same desk.

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What do you think about Stephen Colbert’s farewell era and the Strike Force Five reunion? Share your thoughts in the comments.