Stephen Colbert’s Meta Role on ‘Elsbeth’ Confirmed for Season 3 Premiere

The Late Show host will guest star in the CBS dramedy’s Season 3 premiere on Sunday, Oct. 12.

September 3, 2025, 9:35pm

Pictured: Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Stephen Colbert as Scotty Bristol Photo: Michael Parmelee/CBS

Following news of The Late Show’s cancellation, Stephen Colbert is set to appear on Elsbeth, and details of his episode have finally dropped.

It was recently reported that Colbert will guest star in the upcoming third season of the CBS dramedy as a late-night talk show host.

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The Eye network has confirmed that Colbert is appearing in the Season 3 premiere, airing on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET. In “Yes, And…,” Elsbeth dives into the world of late-night comedy “when backstage tensions rise between a talk show host (Colbert), his head writer Laurel (Amy Sedaris), and her on-air sidekick husband, Mickey (Andy Richter). Also, Elsbeth meets a new police officer (Lindsay Mendez) who is an aspiring stand-up comic when off the clock.”

Pictured (L-R): Stephen Colbert as Scotty Bristol, Amy Sedaris as Laurel Hammond-Muntz, and Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni Photo: Michael Parmelee/CBS

When Colbert’s appearance on Elsbeth was first announced, it wasn’t revealed how his character, Scotty Bristol, was connected to the week’s case, but from the sounds of the synopsis, it can be assumed that the backstage tension will hit a climax, and someone will not be walking away. Of course, playing a late-night host is not a new thing for Colbert, who has been hosting The Late Show since 2015 and hosted The Colbert Report from 2005 to 2014. But it should be fun to see how different the character is or isn’t from himself.

Meanwhile, Elsbeth is keeping the star power going for its third season by having not one but four guest stars for the premiere episode, including Colbert. This comes after the Season 2 finale was a star-studded event with several previous guest stars. It’s unknown who else will be joining the fun for Season 3, but if the premiere is any indication, fans are going to be in for a ride.

Pictured (L-R): Marcia DeBonis as Sheryl Jacobs and Stephen Colbert as Scotty Bristol Photo: Michael Parmelee/CBS

Returning series regulars for Season 3 are Carrie Preston and Wendell Pierce. Carra Patterson exited ahead of the Season 2 finale as Detective Kaya Blanke, but she is still going to be guest starring in the upcoming season. With Elsbeth introducing a new police officer, she might be coming on as Kaya’s replacement since Elsbeth doesn’t really have an officer to work with anymore. Fans will just have to wait and see, though.

Don’t miss what happens when Stephen Colbert guest stars in the Season 3 premiere of Elsbeth, airing on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The series will return to its usual time slot of Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on Oct. 16.