‘No talent, no ratings, no life’: Trump calls Stephen Colbert a ‘dead man’, celebrates ‘Late Show’ end | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump welcomed the end of The Late Show on Friday and criticized its host Stephen Colbert as the long-running program ended its 10-year run after being canceled by CBS.
The show was reportedly canceled after Colbert mocked the network for a $16 million settlement with Trump over allegations of “malicious editing” of an interview involving his Democratic presidential rival Kamala Harris. Trump has frequently attacked Colbert and other mainstream late-night hosts, accusing them of bias and targeting him through their comments.
“Colbert is finally done at CBS. Amazing he lasted this long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday. “You could take anyone off the street and they’d be better than this total jerk. Thank God he’s finally gone!”
CBS insists the decision to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the time-slot’s ratings leader, was purely financial — and unrelated to its parent company Paramount’s lobbying efforts to win government approval for its $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.
According to the AP, the final broadcast had several surprise appearances. Stephen Colbert’s monologue was briefly interrupted by Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd and Tim Meadows, who jokingly acted annoyed that they weren’t his last guests. Meadows quipped, “You know what? You got what you deserved.”
The episode also included comedic moments from celebrities in the audience during Colbert’s final “Meanwhile” segment, including Tig Notaro and Ryan Reynolds.
Later, Colbert performed a loose rendition of Elvis Costello’s “Jump Up” alongside Costello, former bandleader Jon Batiste, and current bandleader Louis Cato. Joined by Paul McCartney and the house band, the group then closed the show with a performance of “Hello, Goodbye”.
Afterwards, staff members and audience members — including Colbert’s wife, Evie McGee Colbert — filled the stage as Colbert handed Paul McCartney the symbolic honor of turning off the building’s power. Then the theater was pulled into a vortex and turned into a snow globe.
Colbert’s show is ending after 11 seasons
CBS announced last summer that Colbert’s show would end, citing economic reasons, after 11 seasons. But Colbert was the ratings leader on late-night television. Many — including Colbert — expressed skepticism that President Donald Trump’s repeated criticism of the show was not a factor. Trump’s name never came up on Thursday.
The decision to close the show came after parent company Paramount settled a $16 million Trump lawsuit during a “60 Minutes” interview as Paramount awaited his administration’s approval of the pending sale of Skydance Media. Colbert called it “a big fat bribe.” On Thursday, he showed a clip of a cute dolphin clicking with the caption: “It was a financial decision.”
(With input from agencies)
