Stephen Colbert isn’t holding back when it comes to Donald Trump.
One of the simplest tests for a free society is whether a comedian can make fun of a country’s leader without consequence. Last week, America failed that test.
Paramount canceled The Late Show, ostensibly for financial reasons. Many have cast doubt upon this claim.
Now, Colbert is hitting back — calling out America’s mad king with an expletive-laden monologue.
Stephen Colbert is addressing the cancelation and the presumed culprit, Donald Trump
Many — perhaps most — believe that Paramount’s move has more to do with appeasement than business.
To explain the suspicions, it comes alongside a $16 million payout in a lawsuit that Paramount had acknowledged was baseless.
All of this may be to appease Trump as Paramount seeks federal approval for a merger.
Some investigators are already investigating Paramount to determine if this “settlement” was, in fact, a bribe. With this cancelation, the massive company has arguably become a collaborator with the Trump regime.
But Stephen Colbert’s time on CBS doesn’t run out until May of 2026.
During his Monday night monologue, Colbert addressed Paramount canceling The Late Show and also vowed that “the gloves are off” when it comes to Trump for his remaining 10 months.
He joked: “They made one mistake: they left me alive.”
That works as a joke but also serves as a reminder that his platform remains for the next ten months of what’s likely to be a miserable time as Trump’s administration continues to dismantle America as we know it.
‘Go f–k yourself’
Additionally, Colbert admitted to the camera that he “doesn’t care for” Trump. To be clear, the massive understatement is the joke.
In addition to covering the dubious circumstances of Paramount’s “financial” decision, he also delved into Trump’s social media posts on the ironically named Truth Social.
“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,” the ailing despot wrote. Colbert fired back:
“Go f–k yourself.”
When Colbert read out America’s mad king’s hope that Jimmy Kimmel would also face cancelation, Colbert hit back.
“Nope, no, no. Absolutely not. Kimmel, I am the martyr,” he joked, referring to the free speech crisis facing America under the Trump regime. “There’s only room for one on this cross.”
Colbert went on to note: “The only other story out there, it’s kind of a small one. The president was buddies with a pedophile.”
Yes, Trump’s longtime bestie Jeffrey Epstein continues to haunt him.
Other hosts turned up to shower Colbert with support
John Oliver of Last Week Tonight, Seth Meyers of Late Night, and Jon Stewart of The Daily Show graced the audience in a clear show of solidarity.
Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper, and Adam Sandler were other conspicuously famous guests.
They may work in other genres, but the message seems clear.
Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show was also there. As if Colbert isn’t going through enough.
Ultimately, it is unlikely that Paramount would be capitulating to Donald Trump in court — or allegedly in late night programming — if they were not hoping to merge with Skydance.
Mergers of this scale are bad. They’re bad for employees, for customers (that’s all of us, basically), for the business ecosystem overall. The only people who benefit are shareholders. That is an all-too-familiar scenario.
Many presidential administrations might unwisely approve a merger like this.
But, in modern American history, only the Trump regime would make massive corporations feel like they need to bribe the POTUS in order to get their way.
Now, Paramount is a collaborator with the ongoing erosion of America itself. Not a great choice. The only ones who benefit are shareholders and Donald Trump.