Stephen Colbert’s Final Episode and the Aftermath
Stephen Colbert has had the last laugh after Donald Trump mocked him following his final talk show episode. From a raucous afterparty celebration to returning to screens with another chat show 24 hours later, he clearly does not feel defeated.
On Thursday night, the American comedian, 62, signed off from The Late Show one last time, having announced last July that his run at CBS was coming to an end. Colbert, who took over the gig in 2014 from predecessor David Letterman, was joined by Sir Paul McCartney for the closing show, while Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, and Ryan Reynolds also made cameos.
Someone Colbert wasn’t keen to reach out to, however, was the president of the United States. Taking to X this weekend, Trump got a bit AI happy once more, sharing an edited video of him walking onto Colbert’s set, picking him up, and throwing him into a bin. 
As the audience in the clip – which has been viewed almost 40 million times – cheers, AI Trump dances to the YMCA. In the replies, supporters of the Republican leader found it hilarious, but many others branded the viral video ‘disgusting’.
@TNOQuoProQuid wrote: ‘I like how we aren’t even pretending anymore that Colbert’s cancellation wasn’t the result of intense political pressure’, while @CantEverDie echoed: ‘pretty crazy how blatant the ending of the late show is just an act of government censorship lol’.
That night, however, Colbert brushed off his firing in style – with a rowdy bash, dancing the night away with pals, colleagues, and his wife. Footage shows the broadcasting legend having the time of his life while House of Pain’s 1992 tune Jump Around plays. He also gets in the middle of the dance floor to shimmy to OutKast bop Hey Ya!
And instead of using the next day to wallow, Colbert successfully took revenge once more, proving he is not, in fact, on the rubbish heap. After turning the lights off at CBS, Colbert returned to TV, this time to host a public access show with rocker Jack White in Monroe, Michigan, with appearances from Jeff Daniels, Eminem, and Steve Buscemi.
As the episode made its way to X, @v1825Natasha said: ‘I would watch this every week’, while @crazycatmakcik pointed out: ‘He did this as a surprise a couple of weeks before his Late Show debut in 2015. So this is just like coming full circle really. Love it!!’
Colbert had actually hinted at returning to the show during his last Late Show appearance. As the live audience booed over it being the final outing, he said: ‘No, no, we were lucky enough to be here for the last 11 years, alright? Can’t take this for granted. Though technically our first show in July of 2015 was from a public access station in Monroe, Michigan, for an audience of 12 people. Show business being what it is these days, that’s probably where you’ll see me next.’
Previously, it was reported that axing The Late Show after 33 years was ‘purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night’. But Colbert has continuously criticised Trump publicly, as have his industry peers, fuelling theories that the administration played a part.
What’s more, when his show was cancelled last summer, days prior, Colbert had mocked Paramount, CBS’s parent company, for settling a $16m (£11.9m) lawsuit with Trump, who took legal action over the editing of 2024’s 60 Minutes broadcast with Democrat Kamala Harris.
CBS has maintained that the top-rated Late Show landed on the chopping block because it was ‘losing $40m (£29.7m) a year’. 
Still, the cancellation has attracted controversy since it came when Paramount began pursuing a divisive merger with Skydance Media, which is led by billionaire David Ellison, who’s often described as a Trump ally.
Despite this, Colbert never stopped roasting and slating Trump in his monologues. In fact, last July, he went for his employer again over its big business deal. ‘I’m thrilled for everyone at Paramount that the deal went through and very excited for our newly announced official combined Paramount-Skydance stock ticker name, which will go from “PARA” to “PSKY”,’ Colbert said at the time. ‘Soon, PSKY will blast hot streaming content right in your face. With hits like Yellowstone, Yellowjackets, and a full variety of water sports. I predict PSKY will become synonymous with number one. PSKY, a pitcher of warm entertainment,’ he mocked.
He went on to make jibes at the president over a post he made about NBC and ABC, retorting with: ‘OK, first it was CBS. Now he’s going after ABC and NBC. To which I say, come on in, Jimmy and Jimmy. The water’s warm because of all the PSKY.’
Liberal host Colbert stayed political until the end, with just his final appearance not including any mention of politics at all. Something he did do, though, was make sure he left CBS with a hefty bill to settle, as he got his live band to play licensed music from the Peanuts cartoons, which could get the network sued.
‘Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money,’ said Colbert.
Meanwhile, Trump is determined to see that the hugely popular late-night TV shows currently on air are binned off one by one. This includes The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on NBC, Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, Seth Meyers’ Late Night on NBC, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central, and HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Sharing a message for the hosts he famously and frequently clashes with, Trump said: ‘May they all Rest in Peace!’
Taking to Truth Social after Colbert’s sign-off, Trump declared that other networks will ‘soon follow’ him into cancellation, branding the outgoing host a ‘total jerk’ who ‘performed like a dead person’.
‘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,’ he penned on Friday morning. ‘Others, of even less talent, to soon follow. May they all Rest in Peace! President DONALD J. TRUMP.’
The president had also stated it was ‘amazing’ that Colbert ‘lasted so long’, saying he has ‘no talent, no ratings, no life’.
As for what Colbert thinks of Trump’s opinions, he told People recently that he doesn’t care. ‘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… How much does it diminish the office of the presidency to even notice what we say?’ he asked.
