After spending a whole week hyping a rare television performance by Daft Punk, Stephen Colbert was abruptly told that the duo had canceled — contractual obligations with MTV were blamed, as Comedy Central parent Viacom (which also owns MTV) suddenly found two of its networks in a tug-of-war over Daft Punk’s appearance.

Ultimately, Daft Punk chose a performance at MTV’s Video Music Awards over Colbert’s show, and the viewing public is better for it, as Colbert puts on a performance (with a slew of special guests) that couldn’t possibly have been matched by Daft Punk. Watch below.