Trump Mocks Stephen Colbert's Show Finale on Social Media
Quick Look
Donald Trump celebrated the end of Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show," calling him a "total jerk" with "no talent, no ratings, no life." Trump also referenced a July 2025 post where he expressed joy over Colbert's perceived firing, calling it a "financial decision" by CBS.
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Why It Matters
Donald Trump, a frequent critic of Stephen Colbert, took to Truth Social to celebrate the end of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' The show concluded its 11-season run on CBS, with its cancellation reportedly being a financial decision. Colbert had previously criticized a settlement between CBS's parent company, Paramount Global, and Trump.
President Trump celebrated the end of Stephen Colbert’s show in a scathing social media post.
Colbert, who Trump branded as a “total jerk,” starred in the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Thursday night.
“Colbert is finally finished at CBS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Amazing that he lasted so long!
“No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person,” the president claimed. “You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk.”
Trump added” “Thank goodness he’s finally gone!”
CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show in July last year, with Colbert having helmed the show for 11 seasons. Previously, the program had been fronted by David Letterman.
“I absolutely love that Colbert’ (sic) got fired,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in July 2025, referencing the news of the show’s cancellation. “His talent was even less than his ratings.”
At the time, CBS described the cancellation as “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.”
“It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” the statement continued.
Colbert had criticised a settlement between Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, and President Trump. The former agreed to pay the latter $16 million to settle a lawsuit over edits made to a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Colbert described the settlement as a “big fat bribe.”
At the time, Paramount and Skydance Media were navigating a huge merger which later went ahead.
During the final episode, Colbert joked that he was meant to be joined by Pope Leo XIV to bring the franchise’s 33-year run to an end.
“The Pope, who was definitely my guest tonight, has canceled,” he said. “We already sent the other stars away. This is terrible.
“Who's going to be my last guest now?”
Colbert was joined by music legend Sir Paul McCartney, who sang The Beatles’ hit song Hello, Goodbye.
Other celebrities who made appearances throughout the program included Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Ryan Reynolds and Tig Notaro.
In one segment, Colbert was joined by fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver.
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Open Questions
- What is the future of late-night television on CBS?
- What are Stephen Colbert's future plans?
- Will Donald Trump continue to comment on media personalities?
- What was the specific financial performance that led to the cancellation?
