David Byrne and Stephen Colbert sing “Burning Down the House”
With Thursday night’s network cancellation looming, the Talking Heads frontman and Late Show host sang one last song together.
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The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air its final episode on Thursday night, thanks to CBS’s craven insistence on kowtowing to President Donald Trump. But unlike the president, Colbert’s ratings have stayed high, because he knows how to make network television feel fresh and exciting. For example: last night’s program, in which Colbert invited Talking Heads frontman David Byrne to perform “Burning Down the House.” Clad in matching blue jumpsuits, Colbert and Byrne delivered a lovely, silly rendition of the 1983 hit song alongside Byrne’s band. Colbert and Byrne have long been buddies: Byrne previously appeared on the show this past March, as well as in 2021 and 2018. Talking Heads reunited for an interview, which they rarely do, at Colbert’s desk in 2023.
CBS cancelled Colbert’s show last July for “financial” reasons. However, the show’s viewership has yet to dip, and some commentators have speculated that the cancellation reflects Bari Weiss’s efforts to conservatize the network and appease a president who has been vocal in his distaste for left-leaning network programs. “How much does it diminish the office of the presidency to even notice what we say?” Colbert has said of the Late Show’s cancellation. “That guy needs to know how to pick his battles, metaphorically and literally.” Tonight’s episode will feature a performance by Bruce Springsteen.
Watch Colbert and Byrne sing “Burning Down the House” below.
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