The woman Colbert joked with from the audience during The Late Show finale was Tig Notaro. She was an audience member, not the program’s final interview guest: that was Paul McCartney. Reports describe Notaro as taking the moment in stride, but do not establish that the audience applauded specifically because she attended or did not act above the show.
Who was the woman Colbert spoke to?
It was comedian and actor Tig Notaro. During the May 21, 2026 finale, Colbert spotted her seated a few rows back and called her an old friend. Notaro joked that she likes to attend historic events, listing the Obama inauguration and the moon landing before adding, “whatever this is.” Colbert thanked her for coming to support his last show. She feigned surprise, then said, “I have a very full life, Stephen.” Out.com reported the exchange on May 22, 2026.
Was Notaro the show’s final guest?
No. Notaro bantered with Colbert from the audience; Paul McCartney was the actual final guest. CBS News reported that McCartney closed the finale with “Hello, Goodbye,” joined by Colbert and other performers.
The distinction matters because other celebrity audience members had interrupted Colbert’s monologue and become irritated when he told them they would not be the final guest. Notaro was singled out as the exception. TVLine’s recap also describes her interruption during “Meanwhile” and her historic-events joke.
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What does the applause claim establish?
The available coverage supports that Notaro attended and responded playfully rather than showing irritation when Colbert told other celebrity audience members they would not be his last guest. It does not confirm that applause was specifically for her attendance, or prove that the audience applauded because she did not think herself above the show. That interpretation goes further than the reported details establish.
How large a finale was it?
CBS News described the finale as the end of Colbert’s 11 years hosting the program and reported that the run included more than 1,800 episodes. Those figures provide context for why the event was treated as historic; they do not measure Notaro’s reception.
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