In a fiery social media post, former President Donald Trump marked the conclusion of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show by harshly criticizing the comedian, likening him to a “dead person” devoid of talent. Meanwhile, Colbert used his final moments on air to take some jabs at CBS.
Colbert had previously stunned audiences with the announcement that Paramount/CBS would not be extending his contract, effectively ending his 11-year stint on the show. This decision also marked the conclusion of the late-night program, which had been a television staple for 44 years.
The network cited financial reasons for the cancellation, but the decision came shortly after Colbert publicly criticized Paramount/CBS for settling a $16 million lawsuit with Trump, calling it “a big fat bribe.”
At the time, Paramount was navigating a major merger with Skydance, a film studio, a deal requiring approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
With the show’s finale airing last Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to express his satisfaction. “Colbert is finally finished at CBS. Amazing he lasted so long!” Trump exclaimed, dismissing Colbert as having “no talent, no life.”
‘Colbert is finally finished at CBS. Amazing he lasted so long!’ the president wrote on his Truth Social page, claiming Colbert had ‘no talent, no life.’
‘He was like a dead person,’ Trump continued. ‘You could take any person off of the street and they would do better than this total jerk.
‘Thank goodness he’s finally gone.’
President Donald Trump celebrated Stephen Colbert’s final show by comparing him to a ‘dead person’ with ‘no talent’
Colbert took a few parting shots at his now-former bosses at CBS and Paramount on his last show on Thursday
President Trump compared Colbert to a ‘dead person’ in a post on his Truth Social page
But as Colbert ended the show, he took a few jabs at his now former bosses at CBS and Paramount.
During his ‘Meanwhile’ segment, in which the now former late night host discussed lesser known news stories, Colbert shared a recent headline about how the owner of the music used in ‘Peanuts’ animated specials filed several lawsuits against those who played the song ‘Linus and Lucy’ without permission.
‘Now, “Peanuts” is a powerful brand and corporation in and of itself,’ Colbert noted. ‘Anyone illegally using that music is going to have to pay through the nose.’
At that point, his band started playing the tune.
‘Louis, is the band right now playing the same “Peanuts” music that I just said people were being sued for using without permission?’ he asked singer Louis Cato, who proceeded to nod.
‘Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money,’ Colbert said sarcastically.
Later, in a pre-taped bit as the star-studded final episode came to an end, Colbert went to investigate what had been causing ‘technical difficulties’ during his show – only to find a swirling green vortex.
Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson then explained that it was an ‘interdimensional wormhole’ that was caused when his show was canceled despite it being ‘number one on late night.’
The dichotomy, he said, ‘created a rift in the comedy-variety-talk continuum’ that threatened to destroy ‘all of late night television.’
In the pre-taped clip, Colbert went to investigate what had been causing ‘technical difficulties’ during his show – only to find a swirling green vortex
Colbert shared a recent headline about how the owner of the music used in ‘Peanuts’ animated specials filed several lawsuits against those who played the song ‘Linus and Lucy’ without permission
His former mentor Jon Stewart also appeared in a pre-recorded clip to ‘deliver a statement’ on behalf of Paramount
As he then considered what to do, Colbert’s one-time mentor Jon Stewart appeared to ‘deliver a statement’ on behalf of Paramount.
Stewart hosts ‘The Daily Show’ on Comedy Central once a week. Both Comedy Central and CBS are owned by Paramount.
‘Paramount strongly believes in covering both sides of any black hole that is swallowing everything we know and love, and the coverage must also include the positive aspect of the insatiable emptiness,’ he remarked.
The joke seemed to be a not-very-subtle jab at CBS News President Bari Weiss, who has argued that the network needed to include more conservative voices and once scrapped a ’60 Minutes’ about President Donald Trump’s deportation plan that she felt was too one-sided.
He was later joined by fellow late night comedians Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver and Seth Meyers
The wormhole segment then ended with fellow late night comedians Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver and Seth Meyers offering their own perspectives.
‘Late night isn’t going to be the same without you,’ Kimmel said.
‘Yeah, without you, who will America turn to see a middle-aged white man make jokes about the news?’ added Meyers, a reference to the late night landscape comprising the demographic.
Later, Kimmel remarked: ‘One of these holes opened at my show last year, but it went away after three days.’
The joke was in reference to Jimmy Kimmel Live’s brief cancelation last year following backlash to a joke he made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
In the end, Oliver said, ‘this may come for all of our shows – but what’s important to remember is tonight, it’s going to eat you.’
Fans gathered outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City for Colbert’s last show
Yet Colbert – who replaced Letterman at the helm of The Late Show in 2015 – has remained mostly cordial about his cancelation.
When he first announced it, he thanked CBS and TV viewers for their support of the show.
‘I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,’ he told his fans at the time.
‘I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners… And I’m grateful to the audience, you, who have joined us every night, in here, out there, and all around the world.’
Colbert has since secured a post-cancellation gig penning a new Lord of the Rings film for Warner Bros. with his 27-year-old son Peter McGee and Philippa Boyens, which was announced on Tolkien Reading Day March 25.
