Craig Ferguson Hosts Final Late Late Show, Featuring Star-Studded Musical Send-Off, Jay Leno as Guest—Watch!

He has hosted the CBS series for almost 10 years, since January 2005

By Corinne Heller Dec 20, 2014 5:17 PMTags

Stephen Colbert wasn't the only talk show host to sign off this week—Craig Fersuon bid farewell to his CBS series The Late Late Show on Friday night.

Like The Colbert Report star, Ferguson also got a star-studded musical send-off, in the form of a pre-taped music video showing celebs performing and lip-synching "Bang Your Drum," by the band Dead Man Fall, from  Cumbernauld in Scotland, where the host grew up. The segment, which served as the opening of the finale, ended in a live stage performance featuring a gospel choir.

The roster of celebrities included Jeff Daniels on guitar, Lisa KudrowSteve Carell,Matthew McConaugheyTenacious D duo Jack Black and Kyle GassWeird Al YankovicPierce BrosnanQuentin TarantinoHenry WinklerWilliam ShatnerTed DansonShailene WoodleyJane LynchJames MarsdenDon CheadleRay Romano, fellow talk show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Larry KingRegis PhilbinSamuel L. JacksonRay RomanoMila KunisBetty White, and a still-pregnant Kristen Bell, who recently gave birth to her and husband Dax Shepard's second child, a baby girl.

Jay Leno, who left The Tonight Show earlier this year after hosting it for most of the past 22 years, was Ferguson's final celebrity guest.

Ferguson told Leno he has admired him and that he has been a good friend to him.

"Well, you've been a good friend to me," he replied. "You always were fair, you know, you didn't join the late-night talk show little 'snippy club.'"

"And we both have Scottish mothers," he added. 

Ferguson has hosted The Late Late Show for almost 10 years. The first episode aired on Jan. 3, 2005. Ferguson is set to be replaced by Into the Woods actor James Corden.

In April, he announced his departure, about two weeks after CBS revealed Colbert would become the new host of The Late Show, which airs beforehand, following David Letterman's retirement in 2015. The latter star's company produces The Late Late Show.

Ferguson began hosting the syndicated game show series, Celebrity Name Game, in September.

The TV personality is also a comedian and an actor, who once played Drew Carey's boss on The Drew Carey Show.

The actor and The Price Is Right host also made a cameo on the Late Late Show finale in another pretaped segment that also paid tribute to The Sopranos.

Check out Ferguson's final Late Late Night Show monologue.

Check out Ferguson's final Late Late Night Show monologue.