Bruce Springsteen Makes Bold Political Statement During Performance As Penultimate 'Late Show' Guest
Tonight, Stephen Colbert's run with The Late Show comes to an end, with the show being outright cancelled a little under a year ago. CBS pulled the plug on the program due to "financial reasons," but it seemed to be more politically motivated. The show was announced to be cancelled after Colbert criticized the settlement reached between CBS and Donald Trumpafter his lawsuit involving 60 Minutes.
Trump has always had jabs for Colbert, with the two having a public political feud for many years. This continues to today, where Trump remarked that he'll have a "message" for Colbert after the show is over.
Last night saw the penultimate episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and featured special musical guest Bruce Springsteen.
@colbertlateshow @Bruce Springsteen performs "Streets of Minneapolis." #Colbert#BruceSpringsteen
♬ original sound - colbertlateshow
The Boss performed "Streets of Minneapolis," the song he wrote amidst the ICE occupation of Minneapolis, which resulted in the tragic deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. Springsteen, another vocal critic of Trump, delivered a stripped back, Dylan-esque version of the song, complete with an emotional harmonica solo at the end.
Sprinsgteen opened his performance with some words for Colbert, stating "I am here in support tonight for Stephen because you're the first guy in America who lost his show because we got a President who can't take a joke."
Springsteen has never been a stranger to politics in his music, always taking an interest in the struggle of the American working class, with stories of the blue collar worker trying to get by making up the lexicon of his illustrious discography.
Fans loved the simpler version of the song and were feeling the emotions of the show coming to an end in the comments.
"I love Stephen Colbert and Bruce Springsteen!!!"
"Bruce is the coolest motherf***er ever."
"THANK YOU STEPHEN COLBERT! THANK YOU BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ! 😭💙😭💙"
I was really struck by how little Springsteen's voice has aged. The performance reminded me of my favorite of Springsteen's albums, "Nebraska," which also features this classic, stripped back sound.
Even though it's the penultimate show, there's a feeling that neither of these guys are throwing in the towel. I'm sure we will see more from them in the future.
Related: Adam Sandler Makes Epic Claim About Bruce Springsteen: 'What a Great Story'
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 8:40 AM.