The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired on Thursday, May 21, concluding an 11-year run on CBS. Both the White House and President Donald Trump took to social media to celebrate it, creating a distasteful end to an already shady journey. This clip, which appeared on all of the official White House social media pages, features Trump walking up behind Colbert, physically tossing him into a trash bin, and then dancing to Y.M.C.A.
Per PEOPLE, this highlights the unusual amount of attention the administration is dedicating to late-night personalities, especially when the United States is currently navigating failing peace talks with Iran and juggling the primaries for the midterms. Iran is supposedly such a big deal that the president even skipped his own son’s wedding. What we got instead is this post. On the White House page, the caption reads: “Bye-bye,” accompanied by a hand-waving emoji.
The Late Show, which isn’t going to be renewed with another host, ended around 12:30 AM. An hour and a half later, Trump took to Truth Social, saying, “[Stephen] Colbert is finally finished at CBS. Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person. You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk. Thank goodness he’s finally gone!”
There is no freedom of speech when the leader can’t take a joke, let alone feedback
This is not an isolated incident, as the administration has been vocal about its desire to see other hosts removed from the airwaves as well. According to Reuters, Trump has repeatedly pressured the Federal Communications Commission to strip broadcast networks of their licenses.
He has specifically called on Disney to fire ABC host Jimmy Kimmel and urged NBC to fire host Seth Meyers. The administration’s focus on these figures suggests a broader strategy to exert influence over broadcast content.
The pressure on these networks has been mounting for some time. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has been central to these efforts. In September 2025, he pressured broadcasters to take Kimmel off the air, leading to a brief suspension of the host’s show.
The reason could be directly tied to calls made by Trump because of a joke made by Kimmel. Disney did not give in. So, the FCC ordered an unusual early license review for ABC’s eight television stations.
Now, Carr has denied that government pressure forced Colbert off the air, stating, “He’s just not as popular or as funny as he once was, if he ever was.” However, the timing of these events remains a point of contention for many critics.
Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez has been critical of this approach, noting that the current administration appears unable to tolerate any form of dissent. “This administration cannot tolerate any critics, whether it’s late-night comedies, whether it’s ‘The View’,” Gomez said.
“They are using every regulatory lever in their arsenal to go after content.” The FCC is currently investigating whether ABC’s The View violated equal time rules, and CBS previously barred Colbert from airing an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, citing an FCC order from January.
Colbert himself addressed the tension, telling PEOPLE that he found it strange for the president to be so concerned with his commentary. “The ending of the show aside, which people can speculate about all they want, and I can’t argue with their speculations, but we’re clowns,” Colbert said. “How much does it diminish the office of the presidency to even notice what we say? [Trump] needs to know how to pick his battles, metaphorically and literally.”
The cancellation of The Late Show was officially announced by CBS in July 2025, as a financial decision. However, the timing coincided with parent company Paramount finalizing an $8 billion merger with Skydance, which required administration approval.
Furthermore, the cancellation followed a $16 million settlement between Paramount and Trump regarding a lawsuit over an edited interview with Kamala Harris. It doesn’t take a genius to see why people see Colbert’s firing in a certain light.
On Friday, Trump took to Truth Social again to make it clear this isn’t over. “Stephen Colbert’s firing from CBS was the “Beginning of the End” for untalented, nasty, highly overpaid, not funny, and very poorly rated Late Night Television Hosts. Others, of even less talent, to soon follow.”
Published: May 25, 2026 07:20 am