Sponsored

President Goes Scorched Earth On Late-Night Foes

By No Comments
Stephen Colbert
Photo Credit: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqEZx6TmfI

A late-night rerun reignited a public feud between President Donald Trump and television comedians.

Trump called on CBS to immediately remove late-night host Stephen Colbert from the air after the network re-aired a December 8 monologue that criticized Trump’s role as host of the Kennedy Center Honors.

The rerun prompted a series of overnight posts from Trump demanding action sooner rather than later, despite CBS already announcing plans to end Colbert’s program in May.

“Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success,” Trump wrote in his first message shortly after the broadcast aired the night of Christmas Eve.

Trump continued his criticism by referencing CBS’s earlier announcement about the show’s cancellation, claiming Colbert had deteriorated further since learning of the decision.

“Now, after being terminated by CBS, but left out to dry, he has actually gotten worse, along with his nonexistent ratings,” Trump continued.

The president escalated his remarks by characterizing Colbert’s comedy as driven solely by animosity and calling on the network to act immediately.

“Stephen is running on hatred and fumes ~ A dead man walking! CBS should, ‘put him to sleep,’ NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!” Trump added.

Minutes later, Trump broadened his criticism to include the entire late-night television landscape, questioning which network had the weakest lineup.

“Who has the worst Late Night host, CBS, ABC, or NBC???” he asked. “They all have three things in common: High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS!”

Trump later returned to the subject, suggesting potential regulatory consequences for CBS over what he described as sustained negative coverage.

Not long after, Trump posted again, asserting that the network’s treatment of him could justify the loss of its broadcast license due to Colbert being “almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party.”

He ended the series of posts with a brief holiday sign-off, writing, “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!” shortly after 1 a.m.

The comments followed CBS’s airing of the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony earlier that evening, which Trump hosted.

Colbert addressed Trump’s involvement during his December 8 broadcast, playing a clip of Trump voicing concern over public judgment of his hosting performance.

“Jimmy Kimmel was horrible,” Trump said in the clip. “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.”

Colbert responded live on air with a pointed remark. “You can’t and you shouldn’t,” he said.

The host went on to note that Kimmel had never served as host of the Kennedy Center Honors.

“But here’s the thing: I did, the three years leading up to Trump becoming president,” Colbert added, while also criticizing Trump for receiving what he described as a “fake” FIFA Peace Prize earlier that week.

Colbert also referenced structural changes at the Kennedy Center, saying, “This year’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony is the very first since Trump installed himself as chair of the Kennedy Center’s board.”

CBS announced earlier this summer that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would conclude in May, citing financial considerations. Trump publicly celebrated the decision at the time on Truth Social.

Colbert addressed Trump directly during a July broadcast, responding to the president with a blunt message. “Go f**k yourself,” he said, with the profanity censored.

The dispute unfolded alongside renewed controversy involving another late-night host.

According to a report published by The New York Post last week, 92% of jokes made by late- night hosts in 2025 were targeted at conservatives.

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel made jokes about conservatives 3,000 times, with 1,668 of those targeted at Trump.

Kimmel delivered an “Alternative Christmas Message” to viewers in the United Kingdom, airing on Channel 4 as part of a tradition dating back to 1993 that features a modern celebrity delivering a holiday address in place of the monarch.

Kimmel opened by acknowledging limited familiarity with British politics before turning his focus to the United States.

“I do know what’s going on over here, and I can tell you that from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year. Tyranny is booming over here,” Kimmel said.

He referenced alleged pressure related to his criticism of Trump, telling viewers, “You may have read in your colorful newspapers, my country’s president would like to shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored.”

Kimmel claimed that government threats had been directed at both him and his employer.

“The American government made a threat against me and the company I work for, and all of a sudden we’re off the air,” he said, before clarifying that the development occurred months earlier.

“But then, you know what happened? A Christmas miracle happened,” Kimmel added, noting that the situation resolved in September.

Kimmel was briefly removed from the air after, but program returned the following week and has not been canceled. Kimmel recently signed a one-year contract extension.

In his Channel 4 appearance, Kimmel praised supporters who defended his ability to continue speaking freely.

“We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night, giving the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved bollocking,” Kimmel said, later referring to Trump as “King Donny the Eighth.”

He contrasted American political traditions with the British monarchy, joking, “We Americans are very proud of not having a king. It’s kind of why we left.”

Kimmel referenced a series of protests over the summer. “Earlier this year, tens of millions of us marched at protests called No Kings. You had some of those there.”

He added, “And just for the record, we have nothing against your king.”

Kimmel continued by criticizing political conditions in the United States while across the pond.

“Here in the United States, right now, we are both figuratively and literally tearing down the structures of our democracy, from the free press to science to medicine to judicial independence to the actual White House itself.”

He described the nation as “a right mess” politically and apologized to British viewers for any impact the situation might have abroad.

“Don’t give up on us,” Kimmel said, while suggesting the country would have an opportunity to change direction in the next election cycle.

“Give us about three years,” he said, referencing the 2028 presidential election.

“I want you to know that we’re not all like him, we’re not all like that,” Kimmel added. “It may not seem like it, but we love you guys.”

Leave A Reply