On December 10, 2025, Taylor Swift made a long-awaited return to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She talked about her music and promoted her new Disney+ docuseries, The End of an Era. This was her first appearance on the show since 2021. There was some playful banter about her song “Hey Stephen” and a TikTok video from behind the scenes. Fans tuned in before the docuseries premiered on December 12 to see behind-the-scenes footage from the Eras Tour.
Swift had a fun challenge when Colbert asked her to name her top five songs from her catalog. She said the rankings “constantly change” under pressure. She said that “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” and “Mirrorball” stood out to her, showing how her tastes have changed over time in a huge discography. The segment was part of the promotion for her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, and the show’s announcement video included songs like “Opalite.”
Colbert got people excited about the episode by posting a video of himself dancing to “Opalite” on Instagram. The video ended with a clip of Swift’s “Hey Stephen” from 2021. During that first visit, Swift jokingly denied that the song was about Colbert. She showed a mood board before saying it was about author Stephen King. A video from backstage before the show showed the two of them recreating the “Hey Stephen” moment on TikTok.
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