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Julia Louis-Dreyfus made her final visit to Stephen Colbert ‘s The Late Show on Tuesday, and while there was much levity, the heaviness of the moment was not lost on the Veep star. When parent company Paramount canceled Colbert’s No. 1 show in late night, the choice shocked the industry and his industry pals, including Louis-Dreyfus. Now after 11 seasons and many visits to his couch, she talks to The Hollywood Reporter below about crafting her hilarious and touching goodbye, which included roasting the late night host in her Veep character, Selina Meyer, and even locking lips with him before he signs off the air on May 21.

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So what was it like kissing Stephen Colbert?

Awkward. It was so awkward. As we started to do this bit, I thought, “Oh no. Is this gonna work?” ( Laughs .) I get very cold feet. He goes to me, “Your husband’s backstage,” and of course, Evie [Colbert] is backstage too. We were all just dying.…