On Wednesday night, Bruce Springsteen took the spotlight on Stephen Colbert’s second-to-last “Late Night” show, launching into a critique of his long-time adversary, President Trump, and CBS’s parent company, Paramount Skydance.
“I’m here tonight to stand by Stephen because you’re the first host in America to lose your show due to a president who can’t handle humor,” Springsteen announced to the audience shortly after his introduction.
The musician continued, “And also because Larry and David Ellison feel the need to curry favor to get what they want,” referencing the CEO of Paramount and his son.
The 76-year-old rock icon then performed “Streets of Minneapolis,” a song released in January as a tribute to Alex Pretti and Renee Good, anti-ICE activists who lost their lives during immigration enforcement operations in the Trump era.
President Trump, known for his frequent criticism of both Colbert and Springsteen, has not yet commented on the performance.
Colbert’s “Late Show” run, which has lasted nearly 11 years, will wrap up on Thursday. Since taking over from David Letterman in 2015, Colbert has hosted more than 1,800 episodes on CBS.
CBS parent Paramount was sold to Skydance for $8.4 billion in August 2025 after a long, messy negotiation process. David Ellison, the former CEO of Skydance Media, was named CEO of Paramount Skydance after the merger.
The move came a month after CBS announced its plan to cancel âThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert.â
The network has denied that political motivations fueled the decision, maintaining that the move was purely financial, given the showâs reported $40 million annual loss.
Critics, including Letterman and fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, have remained skeptical of the reasoning, particularly given Paramountâs efforts to secure regulatory approval for the Skydance deal.
Trump has long celebrated the cancellation of Colbert’s show.
“Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success,â the president wrote on Truth Social late last year.
