It’s no secret that President Donald Trump is furious with late-night comedians who relentlessly mock him. It’s no wonder, then, that President Trump couldn’t resist the opportunity to criticize Stephen Colbert after he stepped down as host of CBS’s “The Late Show” for the final time on Thursday.
In a 1:52 a.m. ET post on his Truth Social account, the president wrote, “Colbert is finally done with CBS. It’s amazing he lasted this long! No talent, no recognition, no life. He was like a dead man. If anyone could be taken off the streets, they would be better than this complete bastard. I’m so glad he’s finally gone!” The White House’s Rapid Response 47 account on X also shared Trump’s post.
On Friday night, Trump interrupted Colbert’s show and posted an AI-generated video of himself throwing the host into a trash can. Trump then dances to “YMCA.”
Last summer, after CBS announced the cancellation of “The Late Show,” President Trump smiled and said, “I’m really glad Colbert was fired.” On his show a few days later, Colbert fired back at the president, telling him to “fuck you” (an F-bomb rang out on the CBS telecast).
Colbert’s final show on May 21 featured celebrity and musical guests, including Paul McCartney, and a pre-recorded segment that shut off the power to the Ed Sullivan Theater, bringing the show to a close after 11 seasons.
Other performers on the “Late Show” send-off included Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Ryan Reynolds, Tim Meadows and Tig Notaro.
CBS insisted that canceling “The Late Show” was a “purely economic decision” following years of economic downturn in late-night television. However, many observers and fans believe Colbert was fired because Donald Trump did not want to be the butt of the host’s jokes. Last December, President Trump called on CBS to quickly exit “The Late Show,” calling Colbert “a pathetic wretch who doesn’t have any of the talent it takes to succeed in show business.”
Last fall, Colbert addressed the question of whether CBS’ cancellation of his show was politically motivated, saying it was “a reasonable thing to think about,” but that it wasn’t “fruitful” for him to “engage in that speculation.” On Thursday, several Colbert fans outside the Ed Sullivan Theater told Variety that they believed CBS actually canceled the show for political reasons.
President Trump also lashed out at Jimmy Kimmel, demanding that Disney and ABC fire him after Kimmel made a joke about the first lady. The April 23 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” featured a fake White House Correspondents’ Dinner, during which Kimmel quipped that Melania Trump had the glow of a “pregnant widow.” Less than a week later, the FCC’s Division of Media ordered ABC to reapply for broadcast licenses for its eight stations early. Chairman Brendan Kerr, President Trump’s ally at the FCC, argued that ABC’s review was related to the agency’s investigation into Disney’s DEI practices.
In a post Friday morning, President Trump criticized other “talented, mean, overpaid, unfunny, and very poorly rated” late-night hosts and expressed hope that they, too, would be taken off the air soon.
“Stephen Colbert’s firing from CBS was the ‘beginning of the end’ for untalented, mean, overpaid, unfunny, and extremely low-rated late-night TV hosts. Other untalented hosts will soon follow. May they all rest in peace! President Donald J. Trump,” he wrote.
