Stephen Colbert guest-stars in quirky mystery series as murdered talk show host

“Late Show” host Stephen Colbert played a murdered talk show host in the quirky detective series “Elsbeth.”

Colbert announced to his audience in July that CBS is cancelling his show in spring 2026. The show’s cancellation follows the network and its parent company’s settlement with President Donald Trump over the summer after he sued both for “election interference” over a “60 Minutes” interview edit of his 2024 opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

But the talk show host is generating new headlines this week for appearing in “Elsbeth’s” Season 3 premiere. Colbert portrayed the eponymous late night talk show host of “Way Late with Scotty Bristol,” who is murdered by his executive producer.

According to IMDb, “Elsbeth” focuses on an “Astute but unconventional attorney Elsbeth Tascioni utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner brilliant criminals alongside the NYPD.”

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With recent controversies about late-night talk shows ranging from the cancellation of Colbert’s show to the brief suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” some, like culture writer Emma Fraser, wrote in the Daily Beast that one “might be under the impression that showrunner Jonathan Tolins is taking a ripped-from-the-headlines approach to the popular series.”

However, the truth is more complicated, as showrunner Tolins reportedly wrote the episode before Colbert announced his show was being shut down. 

“The first thing that he [Colbert] said to me was, ‘Wow, everybody’s gonna think that the Elsbeth writers have the biggest balls in Hollywood,’” Carrie Preston, who plays the titular character, told The Daily Beast.

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But while Colbert plays a talk show host who is literally killed, the character he plays is one that does not appear to be based on himself.

“Scotty isn’t the kindest TV star or boss, which is why his executive producer, Laurel (Amy Sedaris), turns a paper shredder into a murder weapon,” Fraser wrote.

“Although they have the same job, Scotty Bristol is not the loving, accepting, wonderful, and welcoming person that Stephen Colbert is,” Preston said.

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