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How to Get Tickets to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

This post covers how to get free tickets to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert including what you need to know on the day of taping.

Check out our post on getting tickets for 12 other NYC TV show tapings, including the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Take a look 360-degree view of at the Ed Sullivan Theater

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HOW TO GET TICKETS FOR THE LATE SHOW

Where and When Does the Show Tape?

The Late Show tapes at the NBC Studios at the Ed Sullivan Theater in Midtown Manhattan.

Tapings occur once a day on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. On Thursdays, two tapings occur. (The show does not tape during holidays).

The show taping goes from around 5:30 pm to 7 pm. You will have to be at the taping studio by at least 3 pm.

You will be out of the taping by approximately 7:15 pm, so plan your day accordingly.

See below for ideas on what to do in the area before and after the taping.

Requesting Tickets

To get tickets, you must make go online and request them. You can request up to two tickets per person.

Both people must be at least 16 years old to attend a taping.

You are allowed to request tickets no more than once every 6 months.

Requests can be made for the following month at the start of the current month. For example, reservations for a taping in May can be submitted around late March to early April.

Click here to see available dates and request free tickets.

You will see a calendar that shows which dates are available to request tickets and which dates are completely “Sold Out”.

If the date you want is open, click on it and then you will be asked if you want to “Join Waitlist”. Click that button.

You will then be asked to create an account with the ticket distributor, 1iota. It’s easy to do though so don’t worry.

TIP: This 1iota account can be used to request tickets for many other shows as well. See our NYC TV Tapings post to see what other shows you can see live.

What Happens After You Request Tickets

Submitting a request puts you on a waitlist to have your request processed. Ticket requests are processed between 2 weeks up 24 hours before the show date.

The video below explains the waitlist process more.

If your ticket request is approved, you’ll get an email asking to confirm your attendance. Go ahead and confirm.

You will then get a ticket via email. Print it and bring with you on the day of taping.

If you have any questions, check the Late Show’s FAQ page.

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CHECK-IN ON THE DAY OF THE SHOW

Even if you have your email ticket, you are still not 100% guaranteed a seat!

You MUST register at the studio on the day of the show taping.

See below for the location of the taping studio and how to get there.

Registration begins at 3 pm for priority tickets and 4 pm for general tickets.

You must have ID that matches the name on the email you received approving your ticket request.

All members of your party must be with you to register.

Upon registration, you will be given a paper wristband.

Registration ends once all the wristbands have been handed out to ticket holders.

TIP: Be sure to arrive for registration on time, though we highly recommend that you go to line up at least an hour or two earlier if you want to get into the taping.

Entering the Studio

Taping begins at 5:30 pm, so at about 4 pm, the show staff will begin ushering people into the building.

You will have to show your wristband to staff to be allowed in.

Also, you must pass through security, including a metal detector, before being permitted into the theater.

After passing through security, expect to stand inside on another line for at least 15 minutes before being allowed into the studio.

Studio Etiquette and Policy

Food or drinks are not allowed in the theater.

You are required to stay for the duration of the taping.

Show dress code is “Your Mom might see you on TV” casual.

Photography is only permitted during the seating process from a seated position.

Any recording device must be in the ‘off’ position once the show begins.

If you have additional question, check out the Late Show’s FAQ page.

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DIRECTIONS TO THE TAPING STUDIO

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is taped at the Ed Sullivan Theater at 1697 Broadway between West 53rd and West 54th Streets in Manhattan.

You can use this Google Maps link to get exact directions to the theater from your point of departure.

To get there by subway, you can take either the B, D, or E train to the “7th Avenue” station or the N, Q or R train to the “57th/7th Avenue” station.

TIP: If you are new the subway system, see our post on navigating the NYC Subway and also about which MetroCard to Buy.

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THINGS TO DO NEARBY

The taping studio is located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.

You will have time before or after the show to see the sights in the area. Here are a few ideas.

Stroll Around Central Park

Just six blocks north of the taping studio is Central Park. Why not spend some time before you check in for the show to walk around in this beautiful park?

Since you don’t have to check in for the taping until 3 pm, you will have plenty of time in the morning to explore the park.

We offer several different pay-what-you-wish Central Park tours held at different times of the day. If our tour times work with your schedule, consider joining us

We also have a GPS-enabled audio tour for you to explore at your own pace.

Also, you might find our post on things to do in Central Park helpful when visiting the park.

Visit Rockefeller Center

The taping studio is just a few streets away from this famous complex of buildings. There are both paid and free tours of Rockefeller Center. Find out more here.

If you were thinking of visiting one of NYC’s skyscraper observatories, you can go to Top of The Rock for incredible views.

Top of The Rock is open 7 days a week from 8 am and 12:30 am which means you can go before or after the taping.

If you are at a show taping in the winter months, you can go ice skating or take a look at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

See Times Square

The taping studio is just a few streets north of Times Square. You should definitely take some time before or after the show taping to visit.

There are so many things to do in Times Square, from people-watching to going to attractions like Madame Tussauds.

Our post on things to do in Times Square can tell you what else you can see and do there.

Go to a Broadway Show

Make the most of your time in NYC by walking out of the Colbert studio at 7 pm and seeing a theater show at 8 pm!

If you are the spontaneous sort of tourist, you can try to get a last-minute ticket to a Broadway show, often at discounted tickets!

Read about getting tickets at the TKTS discount booth in Times Square.

Take a Tour of Carnegie Hall

This world-famous music venue offers tours to the public on weekdays. The tour is an hour long so you could easily take their 11:30 am or 12:30 pm tour and still get to the taping studio with time to spare.

On this popular tour, you will be guided by a knowledgable docent who will tell you all about this majestic hall’s 125-year history.

Find out about their tours here.

Grab Food at Rupert Jee’s Hello Deli

One of the most beloved personalities from the David Letterman years of the Late Show is Rupert Jee.

Jee is the owner of Hello Deli, which is located just around the corner from the marquee entrance to the Ed Sullivan Theater.

Stephen seemed to signal that he hasn’t forgotten about Rupert when he staged a tirade over the lack of tomato in a BLT he had ordered for lunch.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this isn’t the last time that Colbert includes Hello Deli.

You can take a look inside Hello Deli with Google Street View.

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FUN FACTS ABOUT THE LATE SHOW

The show originally debuted as Late Night with David Letterman on NBC on February 1, 1982. It moved to CBS and the Ed Sullivan theater in August 1993.

The Late Show with David Letterman finished up on CBS on May 20, 2015, after 33 years and 6.028 episodes, making Letterman the longest-serving late night talk show host in American television history.

Letterman is also a television and film producer with his company, Worldwide Pants, which has produced several prime-time comedies including Everybody Loves Raymond.

The Late Show airs most places in the US at 11.35 pm, and some zones at 10.35 pm, and well after a lot of people’s bedtimes.

Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1962 to 1992 and believed that Letterman was his natural successor. Carson even sent Letterman monologue jokes throughout the remainder of his life.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert debuted on September 8, 2015, and also stars house band Stay Human, led by bandleader Jon Batiste.

Stephen Colbert previously hosted the satirical news show The Colbert Report which won six Emmy Awards, on Comedy Central from October 2005 to December 2014.

Stephen Colbert’s hosting desk does not feature his name and instead says “The Late Show With”.

The new set retains some touches from the old “Colbert Report” set, including Captain America’s shield.



Stephen Colbert also actively supports many charities, using his own social media to promote causes, and regularly giving away thousands of his own money.

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