"Please don't do this," a noticeably flustered Jon Stewart said.
Stephen Colbert, a longtime colleague and friend of Stewart's, sat across the desk from him during the host's final "Daily Show" on Thursday evening.
Unfazed by his former mentor's rejection, Colbert proceeded to do what Stewart always prohibited: say thank you.
"Here's the thing, Jon, you said ... never to thank you because we owe you nothing," Colbert began. "It is one of the few times I've known you to be dead wrong."
"We owe you because we learned from you."
Watch the full video (including Stewart's emotional response) above.
