Stephen Colbert follows CBS finale with Michigan Public Access TV Hour

On the final night of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” the host revisited a stunt he pulled just before the show aired, saying, “Technically, our first show was in July 2015 from a public access station in Monroe, Michigan to an audience of twelve people. Show business being what it is today, you’ll probably see me next time.”

Few would have taken that joke as an actual tune-in, but that’s exactly where Stephen Colbert showed up next, as 24 hours later he returned to the airwaves in Michigan — where, without any serious prior warning, he hosted an hour of public television. It turned out to be, well, at least a quarter as starry as what he’d done the night before, and was arguably considerably more hilarious, in its hyper-minimalist way.

Colbert was joined for the low-budget hour by a pair of famous Michigan natives: musical director Jack White, who provided bumper music courtesy of a boombox and reel-to-reel machine, and guest Jeff Daniels. Eminem and Steve Buscemi also appeared in filmed cameos. And Colbert called his successor in the CBS late-night slot, Byron Allen, via FaceTime.

“Since I was last here in Monroe, Michigan, I have been the main host of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ on CBS for 11 years, which came to an end last night,” he said Friday at the start of the 11:35 p.m. local broadcast. “It’s been an awful 23 hours without being on TV, so I’m grateful to be here at Monroe Community Media before they too are acquired by Paramount.”

News of the stunt only began to trickle out on Saturday morning, when the Latenighter site reported on the game and posted a full hour video on YouTube.

While White and Daniels were in the Michigan studio with Colbert, Buscemi appeared in a commercial pitching a Monroe eatery that happens to be called Buscemi’s Pizza.

Eminem, meanwhile, appeared in a very brief cameo near the end, when Colbert took everyone by the hand to a dumpster and said they were about to burn the remains of the no longer used “Only in Monroe” set, but needed permission from a fire marshal. “Marshall, do you mind if we light this?” he asked. “Stephen, Marshall, here,” Eminem, also known as Marshall Mathers, said on video. “Marshall, mind if we light this? Steven Marshall, here. You’re definitely ready to burn that mother down, brother.”

Indeed, Colbert had taken over as guest host of “Only in Monroe” for an hour in 2015, just before beginning his CBS hosting stint. He brought back the two women who were that show’s regular hosts, Michelle Baumann and a former Miss America, Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson (who said she had shed some of those names in the intervening eleven years, without specifying which).

Colbert spoke with the two women about how they dealt with Baumann’s harrowing battle with thyroid cancer, from which she is now in remission. But to keep things lighter, they discussed it while taking turns taking a shot of helium. (Colbert also serenaded White with a good portion of “Fell in Love With a Girl” while under the influence of that same helium.)

Colbert called Allen via FaceTime and late that evening suggested to the new king of CBS that the two women from Michigan come to New York and guest host “Comics Unleashed.”

“Hey man, we’re here in Monroe at 11:35 right now,” Colbert told Allen, whose face was barely visible on the phone. “So we’re facing you now. I hate to do that, but I’m coming for you, brother. I can’t give up. I’m coming for you. Michigan is coming for the public. No free rides, Byron Allen. You gotta earn this. I had to go up against the Jimmies. You got to go up against Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson and Jack White, our musical director.”

Colbert then expressed what seemed like genuine appreciation for Allen. “Anyway, Byron, have a great show,” he said. “You’re the best, buddy. Thanks for picking me up… Sweet guy, Byron Allen. He meant it, by the way.” he added, turning to the ladies. “You could host that show.”

White’s first task in that hour was to act as a deadpan, barely interested-looking foil for Colbert. “You know, you have a lot of equipment there. You left your wax cylinders at home?” Colbert joked. “Yes,” White replied, looking unamused. But later in the show, in addition to kicking off musical segments like “96 Tears,” the rocker came up to Colbert for an in-depth discussion about a long-standing competition between local Monroe chili dog establishments, and they both bit the end of one of the dogs, “Lady and the Tramp” style.

White also became involved in a discussion Colbert had with the two women about alleged Big Foot sightings in the area. “You know, Stephen, for the Bigfoot to exist… for the Bigfoot to continue reproducing, there has to be at least 150… Anything less, scientists think the Bigfoot will become extinct.” Colbert seemed impressed by White’s Yeti knowledge, even more so when the rocker added to the folklore discussion by noting, “There’s also a Wampas cat in some parts of Michigan.”

Colbert and Daniels — who lives in nearby Chelsea, Michigan — discussed how technically the actor was the very first guest for “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” though not the first to appear on air. Daniels was asked to come in and do a test interview with the young host, and the taping went so well that they took advantage of it a few nights while they were on the air, the pair recalled.

Buscemi’s “commercial” amounted to a long disclaimer: “I’m here to let you know that I am in no way associated with Buscemi’s Pizza and Subs in Monroe, Michigan. I am not the owner. I do not know the owners and they certainly are not paying me for this because this is not an advertisement. It is a public service announcement alerting people to the fact that I know nothing about Buscemi’s Pizza. I have never been there. I couldn’t tell you if it is true when they claim they have the best pizza in town and flavorful subs at affordable prices. All I know is that Buscemi’s exists. But if you’re in Monroe, Michigan, and you want pizza from a place with my name that has nothing to do with me, I have nothing to do with it.

Colbert had become apolitical because of the jokes on his last night on CBS, and he continued that in Monroe, going decidedly local with the humor, along the lines of: “Holy Ghost Lutheran Church and School won the title for best fish fry in Monroe County this year. As always, the worst fish fry went to Dirty Dan’s Goldfish Electric Chair.”

There were also few jokes at CBS, though he did say, “Viewers outside the greater Monroe area can watch Monroe Community Media thanks to something known as streaming, which I promised not to learn about while I was on CBS. And apparently CBS has decided not to learn about it either.”

At the end, Colbert noted that the Public Access producers “have also informed me, and it is true, that since they are no longer using this set, it would be beneficial for me to destroy it, which is pretty good news because right now, for no particular reason, I would really like to destroy something.” White joined the host in the set-smashing and ultimately controlled burn.

It was not revealed when Colbert, White and Daniels and company headed to Michigan to shoot, although it was unlikely it was actually Friday as the host had said he had plans to visit family after his final night at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

During the first part of Colbert’s hour of public access, there was an eerie lull to his comedy, although you can hear things in the studio loosen up considerably after he tells the crew, “You look like you’re suppressing laughter. For example, the sound you just made was, ‘I don’t want to make any laughing noises while he’s telling jokes.’ You could just laugh about it.’ It’s really okay.” And from then on, occasional giggles emerged as the unleashed host turned to one of the highest forms of comedy: muskrat humor.