Jimmy Kimmel, Amy Schumer, more congratulate Conan O'Brien on finale: 'Thank you for everything'

As Conan O'Brien's late night television reign comes to a close, celebrities are reflecting on their time spent with the comedian.

O'Brien has been the longest-running late-night comedy fixture, at 28 years, starting at NBC's "Late Night," continuing with a brief run at "The Tonight Show" and, since 2010, at TBS with his self-titled show "Conan." He announced the end of his show last fall, and Thursday marked the finale, though he will begin a new variety show on HBO Max next year.

Stars who have joined O'Brien as a guests over the years took to social media to share some of their fondest memories during his tenure.

FInale highlights: How Jack Black got hurt helping Conan O'Brien end his TBS talk show (it didn't stop him singing)

Evolving late night: From Fallon to 'SNL' to Oliver, how late-night TV is moving on (or not) from Trump

Fellow late night hosts paid homage to O'Brien thanking him for his contributions.

Jimmy Fallon, who now hosts "Tonight," tweeted: "Congratulations @ConanOBrien. One of the funniest brains in comedy. Without you, I wouldn’t have a job. Thank you for everything."

"Conan, thank you for 28 wonderful years of late night shows. Now, can I claim the title of 'palest host?'" wrote CBS "Late Show' host Stephen Colbert.

Jimmy Kimmel dedicated words to O'Brien and Andy Richter, who stood as his sidekick for many years.

"Tonight, two men I respect tremendously close a chapter of their brilliant careers. Conan made doing his job the hard way look easy," Kimmel wrote. "He & Andy are among the funniest of the many funny people I’ve met. Congratulations to you & your co-workers on a remarkable achievement."

'Conan' finale: Ahead of the final 'Conan' episode, Paul Rudd pranks Conan O'Brien one last time

While his competitors bid O'Brien adieu, stars who sat in his hot seat or were inspired by him to pursue comedy gave the comedian his flowers on Instagram.

"He always listened to my crazy stories and laughed at my weird jokes every time I (came) around for a visit," Reese Witherspoon said on Instagram with a clip of her on the show.

Former "Saturday Night Live" star Vanessa Bayer posted a throwback photo with Conan when she was an intern for his NBC show. "So grateful to have gotten to work with you and to look related to you."

"One of the first people to take the time to encourage me. What a run!." fellow comedian Amy Schumer wrote.

Singer John Mayer shared memories of O'Brien's show being comforting to the musician before his own career took off.

More: John Mayer makes a comeback as a 'happy, well-situated guy'

"In my high school years his show would come on right around the time of night I’d get lonely and anxious," Mayer wrote. "When I was recording my debut album, I’d take a break at 12:45 every night to watch his desk bits, which to this day remain some of the finest moments of comedy ever on television."

Jack Black, Will Ferrell and even Homer Simpson (O'Brien was a writer for the show before taking on "Late Night") reflected on his career in Thursday's finale.

"I am so grateful to all my staff and the fans who have joined me in this crazy and seemingly pointless pursuit, to do things that are kind of stupid but have something smart in there somewhere," O'Brien said to close out his last show. "Try and do what you love with people you love. If you can manage that, it's the definition of heaven on Earth."

Contributing: Gary Levin, Hannah Yasharoff, Bill Keveney

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Conan finale: Stars praise late-night comedian on social media