David Byrne and Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, image via YouTube

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is coming to an end tomorrow night, and the last few weeks of its 11-year run have been full of bittersweet and moving reflections on its legacy. Last night, the late-night talk show’s third-to-last airing tapped returning guest David Byrne to join as one of its final guests, and the Talking Heads frontman met the moment with an adaptation of his current Who Is the Sky? touring format, featuring a guest spot for the host.

In a musical interlude within a program that also featured conversations with Stephen Spielberg and Colbert’s old friend and Daily Show collaborator Jon Stewart, Byrne stepped out to the soundstage with a version of the high-concept live show he’s taken around the world in support of his ninth solo studio album since last fall. Backed by an ensemble of dancers and musicians all clad in matching blue jumpsuits, Byrne led the Talking Heads classic Burning Down the House – not-so-subtly gesturing to the fractious, politically-motivated terms of the Late Show’s cancellation. Toward the end of the song, as flames rolled on screens behind the stage, Colbert strutted out in the same getup as the band and joined them in a dance line.

CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in July 2025, three days after Colbert criticized the $16 million settlement that the network and its parent company, Paramount, made with Donald Trump in his 60 Minutes lawsuit as a “big fat bribe.” The show’s final episode will air tomorrow, May 21. While the guests for the finale have not been announced, tonight’s penultimate program will include a performance by Bruce Springsteen.

Watch Byrne and Colbert burn down the house below.