President Donald Trump unleashed a furious late-night tirade against CBS host Stephen Colbert, demanding the network cancel The Late Show immediately after a rerun of a monologue criticizing Trump’s role in the Kennedy Center Honors aired this week.
Posting in a series of messages just after midnight, Trump labeled Colbert a “pathetic trainwreck” and accused him of having “no talent” and “nonexistent ratings.” He urged CBS to shut the show down “NOW,” rather than waiting until its scheduled end in May.
“Stephen is running on hatred and fumes,” Trump wrote, calling the host a “dead man walking” and adding that CBS should “put him to sleep” — language that quickly drew attention for its vicious tone.
Triggered by Kennedy Center Honors criticism
The outburst followed CBS’s re-airing of a December 8 Late Show monologue in which Colbert mocked Trump’s decision to host the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. The annual event, broadcast earlier the same evening, marked the first time Trump served as host after installing himself as chair of the Kennedy Center’s board.
In the monologue, Colbert played a clip of Trump worrying aloud about how his hosting performance would be judged.
“Jimmy Kimmel was horrible,” Trump said in the footage. “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.”
Colbert shot back bluntly: “You can’t and you shouldn’t,” drawing laughter from the studio audience. He also pointed out that Kimmel had never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, while Colbert himself had hosted the ceremony for three consecutive years prior to Trump’s presidency.
Colbert went on to mock Trump for recently accepting what he described as a “fake” FIFA Peace Prize and noted that this year’s ceremony marked a major shift in leadership at the Kennedy Center.
Trump widens attack to all late-night TV
Trump did not stop with Colbert. In subsequent posts, he asked followers which network had the “worst Late Night host,” singling out CBS, ABC, and NBC.
“They all have three things in common,” he wrote. “High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS!”
He later suggested CBS’s broadcast license could be revoked, accusing the network of being “almost 100% Negative” toward him, MAGA, and the Republican Party. Trump ended the spree with a sarcastic “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!” posted around 1 a.m.
A show already set to end
CBS announced earlier this summer that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would conclude in May, citing financial reasons — news Trump publicly celebrated at the time. Colbert responded months later on air, telling the president to “go f**k yourself,” with the expletive censored.
The episode comes amid heightened scrutiny of late-night television. Colbert’s ABC rival Jimmy Kimmel was briefly pulled from the air earlier this year after FCC chair Brendan Carr suggested affiliates reconsider broadcasting his show following controversial remarks. Kimmel returned the next week and has since signed a one-year contract extension.
Colbert has not yet announced his next move once The Late Show ends. But Trump’s latest barrage — sparked by a joke about the Kennedy Center Honors — shows that even reruns can still ignite a political firestorm.
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