Tom Hanks To Make Final Appearance On Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show Amid Series Farewell

For years, one familiar face kept popping up on couches inside the iconic Ed Sullivan Theater… cracking jokes, sharing stories about Hollywood, family life and even his obsession with typewriters. Now, as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert prepares to wrap up an era, Tom Hanks is getting ready for one last memorable visit with Stephen Colbert.

According to AOL, the Oscar-winning actor will appear on the show on Wednesday, May 13, marking his 18th and final interview with Colbert. Over the past 11 years, Hanks has become one of the most frequent and beloved guests on the late-night programme.

The upcoming appearance comes during the show’s final full week before its series finale on May 21. The end of The Late Show will also close the curtain on the franchise’s

remarkable 33-year journey on CBS.

The farewell week is packed with star power. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is scheduled to appear on May 12, while Pedro Pascal will also join the same episode ahead of the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Other guests lined up for the emotional final stretch include Ina Garten, Billy Crystal and John Krasinski, known for A Quiet Place.

One of the most talked-about moments of the week is expected to arrive on Monday, May 11, when the Strike Force Five gang reunites on television. Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver will appear together for the first time since launching their 2023 podcast during the Hollywood strikes.

The nostalgia doesn’t stop there. On May 14, David Letterman is set to return for his second appearance since handing over hosting duties to Colbert in 2015. Reports also suggest that Billie Eilish has already taped a special segment for the May 21 finale.

Adding to the buzz, former US President Barack Obama recently participated in the show’s popular “Questionert” segment.

For those unfamiliar, The Late Show first launched in August 1993 with David Letterman after his exit from Late Night with David Letterman. Stephen Colbert later took over as host in September 2015 and helped steer the programme into a new era of late-night television.

Away from the talk-show world, Tom Hanks is also gearing up for another major project. The actor will soon headline World War II with Tom Hanks on the HISTORY Channel, where he serves as narrator and executive producer.

The 20-episode series premieres on May 25. In a clip shared with PEOPLE, Hanks says, “In less than a month, a major European nation has been removed from the map,” before adding, “In the first 24 hours of the invasion, the Germans take out railroads, bridges and airfields. The destruction paves the way for their army to advance deep into Poland.”

Historian Jadwiga Biskupska also appears in the documentary and says, “Polish civilians experience modern war in an unbelievably horrifying way. They see people killed. It’s a nightmare.”

Tom Hanks was last seen in the television series The American Revolution.