Stephen Colbert kicked off his final week of The Late Show by revisiting some of the best graphics that never made it to air, including one about Hillary Clinton. During Monday’s episode, the host welcomed Andro Buneta, head of the arts department, to present a segment called “Graphics Graveyard,” named after the team’s group chat.
Among the discarded visuals was an image prepared in celebration of Clinton winning the 2016 election to become the 45th president. Instead, Donald Trump defeated her. As the audience groaned, Colbert teased: “Oh, grow up! It all worked out fine.”
Other unaired graphics included an edited cover of Martha Stewart’s defunct Living magazine with the headline “Donner or Dinner Party,” and a spoof pornographic magazine titled Gibblets featuring a turkey in a bra. Buneta explained that cut mock-ups were printed and displayed on a wall, and later shared via a Slack channel.
CBS’s long-running Late Show franchise will end on Thursday. The network announced its cancellation last July, days after Colbert criticised parent company Paramount for settling a $16 million lawsuit with President Donald Trump over allegations that 60 Minutes deceptively edited a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris. While CBS cited financial reasons, many suggested the decision was politically motivated.
Colbert told The New York Times last month that he was caught off guard by the cancellation, noting that CBS had encouraged him to sign a five-year contract in 2023. “Less than two years before they called to say it’s over, they were very eager for me to be signed for a long time,” he said. “So, something changed.”
