Stephen Colbert And David Letterman Destroy CBS Property, Channel Edward R. Murrow In Letterman's Final Late Show Appearance: 'Good Night And Good Luck, Motherf—kers!'

Stephen Colbert still has one more week of shows left, but it's hard to imagine a more cathartic viewing experience for "Late Show" fans than David Letterman's return to the Ed Sullivan Theater.

Colbert's predecessor made his final appearance on Thursday's broadcast, entering from stage left to thunderous applause and a standing ovation.

"How about Paul and the band, ladies and gentlemen?" Letterman quipped, referencing former bandleader Paul Shaffer while shouting out Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine. "You know what happened backstage? I'm standing backstage, a guy comes over, and he says he's from CBS. And then he fired me." ("I'm sorry," Colbert responded. "You caught a stray!")

"I have every right to be p—ed off, so I will be p—ed off here a little bit," Letterman continued. "Because you folks wouldn't be in this theater if it weren't for me, and Stephen wouldn't be here if it weren't for me. We rebuilt this theater, then Stephen came in — and look at this: It's like the Bellagio!"

From there, Letterman made it clear that his return was not about him, but about the man who replaced him.

"You can take a man's show. You can't take a man's voice," Letterman declared.

At one point, Letterman asked his successor who owned the furniture. Once Colbert made clear it belonged to CBS — and therefore Paramount's new owners, Skydance — Letterman instructed a few stagehands to bring their chairs up to the roof, while the rest of his interview was conducted from the middle of the studio audience. (It was there that Letterman also paid tribute to his late mother, Dorothy, a fixture of "The Late Show" during his 22-year tenure behind the desk.)

Eventually, Colbert and Letterman made their way up to the roof, paying homage to Letterman's run by hurling chairs — then watermelons — off the building, successfully striking a CBS bullseye.

In the end, Colbert gave the final word to the man who started it all, asking Letterman if he had anything to say before they signed off.

"Well, not necessarily to the audience, but to the folks at CBS," he said, before channeling iconic CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow: "Good night and good luck, motherf–kers."

Letterman's appearance was preceded by Monday night's episode featuring Colbert's late-night brethren — John Oliver (of HBO's "Last Week Tonight"), and Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers (respectively of NBC's "The Tonight Show" and "Late Night") — all of whom famously co-hosted the "Strike Force Five" podcast in 2023 as a means of supporting their staffs during the Writers Guild of America strike.

Their joint appearance also resulted in the production of a new "Strike Force Five" episode, which you can watch below. (Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," previously bid farewell on April 23.)

The series finale of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" airs Thursday, May 21 at 11:35 p.m. on CBS. Will you be tuning in for Colbert's farewell episode?