‘Gloves are off’: Cancelled Late Show host Stephen Colbert comes out swinging against Trump
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
People protesting after CBS/Paramount announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City on July 21, 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
NEW YORK - Comedian and writer Stephen Colbert had an unflinching message for US President Donald Trump in his first broadcast since his Late Show was cancelled amid a political firestorm – “The gloves are off.”
Colbert, who addressed the cancellation of his show by a broadcaster
The Late Show, a storied US TV franchise dating back to 1993 when it was hosted by David Letterman, will go off the air in May 2026 following a surprise announcement by broadcaster CBS last week.
The channel is part of Paramount, which is in the throes of a US$8 billion (S$10.2 billion) takeover that requires approval by the Trump-controlled Federal Communications Commission.
It pulled the plug three days after Colbert skewered CBS for settling a lawsuit with Mr Trump.
He accused it of paying what he termed a “big fat bribe” of US$16 million to the President for what he called “deceptive” editing of an interview with his 2024 election opponent, former vice-president Kamala Harris.
Mr Trump revelled in the firing of one of his most prolific detractors, posting on his Truth Social platform: “I absolutely love that Colbert was fired.”
Colbert joked on July 21 that it had always been his dream starting out as an improvisation comic in Chicago in the 1980s to have a sitting president celebrate the end of his career.
He also disputed the logic of CBS, which insisted the cancellation was “purely a financial decision”.
He said that in an anonymous leak over the weekend, CBS had appeared to suggest his show lost US$40 million in 2024.
Colbert joked that he could account for losing US$24 million annually, but was not to blame for the other US$16 million – a reference to CBS News’ settlement with Mr Trump.
The cold open – an opening monologue to kick off the show – on July 21 was an unsparing riff on Mr Trump demanding that the Washington Commanders change its name back to its former name, which was widely considered a slur against Native Americans.
The segment suggested Mr Trump sought to rename the franchise the “Washington Epsteins”, in reference to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein,
Colbert returned to this topic after addressing his show’s cancellation, proclaiming that they had killed his show but not him, and doing a deep dive on reporting about just how close Mr Trump and Epstein were.
It was a formula that would have been familiar to fans of the show: the deadly serious leavened with humour and quick wit.
Outside the taping at Midtown Manhattan’s Ed Sullivan theatre, protesters held placards that said “Colbert Stays! Trump Must Go!”
Audience member Elizabeth Kott, a 48-year-old high school teacher, called Colbert’s firing “terrible”.
“It’s really awful that it’s come to that in this country, where companies feel the need to obey in advance. It’s really awful,” she told AFP.
‘A plague on CBS’
Colbert’s lead guest on July 21, acclaimed actress Sandra Oh, did not hold back, proclaiming a “plague on CBS and Paramount” – the network on which Colbert’s channel is broadcast and its media giant proprietor.
Colbert’s lip trembled as Oh paid tribute to his work speaking truth to power while staying funny.
His other guest, actor Dave Franco, said he had loved Colbert’s work in everything from The Daily Show to The Colbert Report and then The Late Show.
It was on The Daily Show, under the supervision of comic “anchor” Jon Stewart, that Colbert perfected his alter ego – a blowhard conservative reporter whose studied ignorance parodied actual right-wing broadcasters night after night.
He moved up to a show of his own on the same network, Comedy Central, which was then part of Viacom and today is part of Paramount.
Before long, he took one of the most coveted chairs in US television – host of the CBS late-night slot.
Colbert dropped his arrogant conservative persona and cultivated a reputation as one of the most trusted yet funniest figures on US television.
Through the coronavirus pandemic, he became a reassuring presence for millions, broadcasting from a spare room in his house and narrating the challenges he faced alongside his wife Evelyn.
He also became an arch-critic of Mr Trump, skewering the President for everything from his policies to his fondness for fictional character Hannibal Lecter.
Skipping a promised question and answer session following the taping of the show on July 21, Colbert told his studio audience that he “was nervous coming out here”.
“I will miss you.” AFP
