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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has wrapped its incredible 1,801-episode run, marking the end of an era for weeknight television. While you can no longer watch Stephen from your couch, you can soon witness the legacy of his late-night glory in person. Later this summer, Stephen Colbert’s iconic set will be on display at its brand-new home: The Museum of Broadcast Communications right here in Chicago.
For Colbert, this is the ultimate homecoming. Long before he was grilling politicians, he was a drama student at Northwestern University (Class of '86) and cutting his comedic teeth at Chicago’s legendary Annoyance Theatre and Second City.
The museum is already a late-night fan's paradise, boasting exhibitions dedicated to Johnny Carson’s historic run on The Tonight Show and even one of Jimmy Fallon’s old desks. But the upcoming addition to "The Evolution of Late Night Television" exhibit is a true showstopper. The museum already owns the desk Colbert used during his 2024 DNC week in Chicago, but now they’ve received the whole kit and caboodle.
The late night legend has donated his set: the dazzling lighted backdrop, the actual carpet, his desk chair and the meticulously recreated Ed Sullivan Theater columns crafted by the CBS prop department back in 2015. The exhibit will even include Colbert's actual Emmy Awards.
And the crown jewel of the exhibit? You'll be able to sit in Colbert's guest chair. But this is not just any guest chair—it's the exact one occupied by Colbert’s final, legendary guest: Sir Paul McCartney. You can sit where a Beatle sat, look out at the iconic backdrop and pretend Stephen is about to ask you a deeply philosophical, but very funny, question.
The set arrived at the Museum last week, as seen in this video from CBS News, but a date for the official unveiling has yet to be announced. Follow the Museum for updates, and make plans to visit later in the summer.