Stephen Colbert will soon be waving goodbye to The Late Show with CBS confirming he’s out at the end of the 2025-26 season. But in true Colbert style, he’s not exactly leaving quietly.
The loudest mic drop of the week? His annihilation of Donald Trump — a classic, unfiltered “go fuck yourself” — after Trump couldn’t help but gloat online about Colbert’s demise.
Colbert’s moment came hot on the heels of a Truth Social post from Trump, who crowed, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the [moron] on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.”
If it seemed petty, Colbert wasn’t about to let him have the last word. Looking straight into the camera, he fired back with, “How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go fuck yourself.”
The studio audience lapped it up, chanting his name while Colbert sat back, clearly relishing the freedom that comes with a ticking clock on your contract.
There’s been plenty of eyebrow-raising over the timing of Colbert’s exit. CBS insists it’s all about “financial decisions” — despite Colbert’s show consistently topping the ratings leaderboard.
“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” the network said, per 9News.
“It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
But critics aren’t buying it. The news came just days after Colbert roasted CBS’s parent company, Paramount, for its $16 million settlement with Trump — a payout he described as a “big, fat bribe”.
On Colbert’s first show post-announcement, the support from his comedy mates was overwhelming. Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Andy Cohen rocked up in the audience, showing their solidarity to the Late Show host. The star parade didn’t end there: Adam Sandler, Anderson Cooper, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and “Weird Al” Yankovic all put in appearances.
While the future of The Late Show may be finite, the last act promises to be everything and more. He said on the show, “Over the weekend, it sunk in that they’re killing off our show.
“But they made one mistake: They left me alive. And now for the next 10 months, the gloves are off. I can finally speak unvarnished truth to power and say what I really think about Donald Trump.”
Colbert has made it clear he’s leaning into his final months like a man with nothing left to lose — except maybe his filter.
Lead image: The Late Show
