There’s still time before the final credits roll.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc.)

The clock is unfortunately ticking for Stephen Colbert and The Late Show on CBS after the late night series was cancelled back in July, and the host has gotten an outpouring of support from fans, fellow late night hosts, and even the Emmys after his first-time win for Outstanding Talk Show. There’s still at least one big thing that he’d like to accomplish before the series ends in the 2026 TV schedule, and that’s an interview with none other than Pope Leo XIV.

Colbert still has time left on The Late Show, but considering that the Pope’s schedule is probably pretty packed, an interview with Leo XIV would likely need plenty of planning! It’s also not a recent development that he wants to interview the head of the Catholic Church. Speaking with GQ about who he wants to speak with but hasn’t gotten the chance, he said:

The Pope. I really wanted to interview Francis. Really wanted to interview Francis. He seemed like a very interesting cat, Daddio.

Stephen Colbert is openly Catholic, having spoken about it on The Late Show many times. Since Pope Francis’ death back in April means that Colbert’s dreams of an interview with him can never be realized, perhaps his odds are even better with Pope Leo. Peyton Manning wasn’t able to recruit the first American pope to appear on ESPN2, but maybe Colbert’s odds are better. The host went on to pitch an interaction to the pope:

Leo, come on. Chicago, Chicago. Let’s hit some deep dish. We’ll go to a Sox game. I mean, I got nine months left, if there’s one person I could talk to – I’d even got to Rome. You know what? I would do that for him. I would even go to Rome. I hear it’s a nice place.

Stephen Colbert may not be a Chicago native, but he – like many SNL stars – got a big break in comedy at Second City. He has also openly rooted for the Chicago Cubs instead of Leo’s preferred White Sox, so he’s clearly at least willing to set his baseball loyalty aside for a conversation with the pope. Colbert has said that he wants to “land this plane” of The Late Show before looking too far ahead in his career, despite quickly nabbing a role on Elsbeth. What better way to do that than book an interview with the first American pope?

Despite the initial shock of The Late Show getting the axe, Colbert has talked about wanting late night talk shows to continue to exist, after Jimmy Kimmel’s show was temporarily pulled from late night on ABC. He also touched on the rumored political reasons that some suspect led to The Late Show‘s cancellation, directly saying that his “side of the street is clean.”

The cancellation certainly hasn’t meant a drop in the kinds of guests that have joined Colbert on The Late Show, with some of the latest (at the time of writing) including Ted Danson, Julia Roberts, Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, and Emma Thompson, to name just a handful. As for whether Pope Leo XIV could add his name to the list for 2026.. well, only time will tell. At least everybody can now know that the host is up for a trip to Chicago and/or Rome to make it happen!