Overview

• Midler appeared on the Oct. 15 broadcast to promote her New York Restoration Project, then opened with a playful on-air thank-you to Colbert.
• She performed rewritten lyrics to her 1988 hit, framing the homage as “Did you ever know that you’re my Frodo” with Lord of the Rings nods.
• Midler unrolled staged lyric sheets and praised Colbert for never “kissing the orange a**,” a jab at President Donald Trump.
• Colbert reminded viewers he remains on the air until May, continuing his run despite CBS’s decision to end the show.
• CBS announced the cancellation in July as a financial move, though critics alleged it was tied to Paramount’s merger push with Skydance, which has since been approved.