Stephen Colbert brought Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver together for one last on-screen reunion before his final episode airs May 21. The group announced an “emergency” video podcast episode dropping May 13.
The five late-night hosts surprised audiences on the May 11, 2026 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert when all four of his fellow late-night stars joined him on stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater. The gathering marked the first time since 2023 that the full Strike Force Five group appeared together in person.
Colbert called them “four of my best television friends” as the group sat down to celebrate his final weeks as host. The reunion was not just a nostalgic callback. The hosts used the time to talk about the current state of late-night television and to announce something fans did not expect.
The Group Announced an “Emergency” Podcast Episode During the Show
Near the end of the episode, Colbert told viewers that Strike Force Five would record a new podcast episode immediately after the show ended. He called it an “emergency episode”.
The new episode will be available on May 13, 2026 across multiple platforms. Fans can stream it on Spotify, the Strike Force Five YouTube channel, and other major podcast services. Unlike the original 2023 podcast which was audio-only, this new episode will be released as a video episode.
Proceeds from the new episode will go to World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization that provides meals during humanitarian crises. The original 12 episodes of Strike Force Five raised money for the out-of-work staff members of each host’s show during the 2023 writers strike.
Why Strike Force Five Originally Started in 2023
The original Strike Force Five podcast launched in August 2023 during the Writers Guild of America strike. All five late-night shows went dark because their writers were on strike. The hosts had no shows to film and their staff members had no work.
Jimmy Kimmel explained the origin during the May 11 episode. “Strike 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,” Kimmel said. “So we did a podcast that paid a tiny portion of that. We did 12 episodes.”
The podcast ran for 12 episodes from August to October 2023. It ended when the writers returned to work. The show gave fans something they had never seen before: five of the biggest names in late-night television sitting together without scripts, talking openly about the business and their personal lives.
Colbert’s Final Show Is Set for May 21
CBS has confirmed that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will air its final episode on May 21, 2026. The decision to end the show was announced last summer. Paramount called it “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night” and said Colbert was “irreplaceable”.
Colbert has hosted The Late Show since 2015 when he took over from David Letterman. His decade-long run made him one of the most recognized faces in late-night television.
During the May 11 episode, Kimmel joked about the cancellation. He pointed out that when ABC took him off air in 2025 over comments he made, people canceled Disney+ in protest. “Why aren’t you people canceling Paramount+?” Kimmel asked. “Because you didn’t have it in the first place?”
What Comes After Colbert Leaves
CBS has already announced what will replace The Late Show. Byron Allen will take over the 11:35 pm ET time slot with back-to-back half-hour episodes of Comics Unleashed. A comedy game show called Funny You Should Ask will follow at 12:37 am.
Colbert reacted to the news with humor. “God bless him. I know Byron,” Colbert told The Hollywood Reporter. “We got to know each other last year, actually. He’s fascinating.”
Kimmel will also air a repeat episode on May 21 as a sign of respect for Colbert’s final show. This follows a late-night tradition. Kimmel did the same thing in 2015 when David Letterman signed off from The Late Show.
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What Fans Can Expect From the New Episode
The new Strike Force Five episode comes out May 13, 2026. Based on the original podcast’s style, fans can expect open and honest conversations between the five hosts without the usual structure of their individual shows.
Colbert and Kimmel both posted about the episode on Instagram. “Emergency @strikeforcefive episode loading! ⚡,” they wrote.
David Letterman will also appear on The Late Show on May 14 as part of Colbert’s final week of episodes. Other guests scheduled for the farewell week include John Krasinski, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Pedro Pascal and Tom Hanks. Former President Barack Obama will also appear for a special “Colbert Questionert” segment.
Colbert and the other hosts used their reunion to talk about the future of late-night television. Kimmel argued that more people watch late-night now than during Johnny Carson’s era when counting streaming and YouTube views.
The May 13 Strike Force Five episode will be available worldwide on Spotify, YouTube and all podcast platforms.
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