Paul McCartney led an all-star lineup for the final episode of The Late Show as frontman Stephen Colbert bowed out after broadcaster CBS cancelled his show as it courted US President Donald Trump. There were cameos from actors Tim Meadows, Paul Rudd, Ryan Reynolds and Bryan Cranston.

But one A-lister who eluded the comic to the end was the pope, whom Colbert, a devout Catholic, had long touted as his dream guest. “The pope, who was definitely my guest tonight, has cancelled,” Colbert joked.

The show, which the 62-year-old has hosted since 2015, was axed after he mocked the broadcaster for a $16 million settlement with Trump for allegedly “maliciously” editing an interview with his Democratic election rival Kamala Harris. Colbert called it a “big fat bribe.”

CBS has insisted the decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the ratings leader in the time slot, was purely financial – and that it was a coincidence the move came as CBS parent company Paramount lobbied for government approval of its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.

A huge crowd formed around the storied Manhattan theatre cheering every celebrity arrival and trying to listen through the stage door.