After months of public sparring with President Donald Trump, Stephen Colbert walked onto the stage for his final “Late Show” episode Thursday night — and never said Trump’s name once.
The surprising decision instantly stood out because Colbert had spent weeks escalating his attacks on Trump and CBS following the network’s bombshell cancellation of “The Late Show.”
Expectations for the finale were so heavily centered around Trump that many viewers anticipated one last scorched-earth monologue aimed directly at the president.
Instead, Colbert kept Trump almost entirely out of the broadcast. The only direct jab came during Colbert’s final interview with Paul McCartney.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 22, 2026
As the two discussed The Beatles’ famous 1964 appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the same stage that eventually became home to “The Late Show,” McCartney recalled American makeup artists turning the band “bright orange.”
With a smirk, Colbert responded, “That’s very popular in certain circles these days.”
The restrained approach marked a dramatic shift from Colbert’s rhetoric in the weeks leading up to the finale.
CBS announced in July that “The Late Show” would end after the 2025-26 season.
The move immediately triggered accusations that the cancellation was politically motivated.
The controversy exploded after Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, agreed to a controversial $16 million settlement with Trump tied to a lawsuit involving a “60 Minutes” interview with former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Colbert publicly blasted the settlement on-air during a furious July 14 monologue.
Calling the payout a “big fat bribe,” Colbert accused Paramount executives of attempting to appease Trump while the company pursued a larger business deal.
🪖Discover what it takes to turn defeat into victory in this FREE eBook on history’s “savior generals” 🪖 Learn how exceptional leadership can change the course of war!➡️➡️➡️ Download your FREE copy NOW!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Three days later, Colbert announced CBS would end “The Late Show.” Trump quickly celebrated the cancellation online.
Rather than backing down afterward, Colbert repeatedly doubled down on anti-Trump jokes during the final weeks of the program.
That escalating feud only intensified expectations that Trump would dominate the finale.
But Colbert instead largely avoided mentioning the president altogether. Even so, politics still hung heavily over the final episode.
At one point, Colbert referenced CBS legal anxieties while discussing the classic “Peanuts” piano theme “Linus and Lucy.”
As the house band performed the song, Colbert joked, “I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money.”
The finale also leaned heavily into symbolic references about Colbert surviving pressure from corporate leadership.
Several major late-night figures appeared throughout the broadcast. Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon and John Oliver joined together in a sequence meant to encourage Colbert as the show approached its ending.
Jon Stewart, Colbert’s former mentor from “The Daily Show,” also appeared during the sendoff.
Outside the show itself, Colbert’s cancellation continued triggering backlash from liberal celebrities and fellow late-night hosts.
Kimmel devoted a large portion of his own monologue Wednesday night to defending Colbert and attacking CBS.
“I think you know how I feel about the fact that they are being pushed out,” Kimmel said. “I hope the people who did the pushing feel ashamed of themselves tonight.”
Kimmel also praised Colbert personally. “It has been a pleasure to work alongside you,” he said.
Although Kimmel hosts a competing late-night show on another network, he insisted there was never real hostility between the programs.
“We never felt like we were competing against him,” Kimmel remarked.
He then encouraged viewers to tune in for Colbert’s finale, before joking they should stop watching CBS entirely afterward.
“I will be watching tomorrow night,” Kimmel said. “I hope that those of you who watch our show will also tune into CBS, for the last time.”
“Don’t ever watch it again, but watch tomorrow night,” he added.
Kimmel later pivoted directly toward Trump. “When I got knocked off the air for a few days, people canceled Disney+,” Kimmel commented while referencing his own suspension.
“Why aren’t you people canceling Paramount+,” he questioned. “Because you didn’t have it in the first place?”
Meanwhile, a coalition of liberal celebrities tied to the Committee for the First Amendment released a tribute video praising Colbert for standing up to Trump and corporate pressure.
“He called out CBS for paying off Trump,” actress Ariana DeBose began in the compilation. “CBS canceled his show.”
View this post on Instagram
“For over a decade on ‘The Late Show,’ Stephen has used humor to bring us joy while holding power accountable,” actress Yvette Nicole Brown added.
Jane Fonda also appeared in the video. “He has made us laugh, and he has never flinched,” Fonda stated.
Actor Mark Ruffalo argued Colbert’s departure represented something bigger than television.
“I’m disturbed by what it means that he’ll be gone,” Ruffalo said.
Sally Field echoed similar concerns. “Authoritarians need to get rid of those voices,” Field said. “Voices of the people.”
The celebrity coalition ended the tribute by praising Colbert’s willingness to challenge Trump and CBS publicly.
“You stood up courageously, even when it cost you something,” the video concluded. “That courage is contagious.”
The night before the finale, several celebrities also used Colbert’s second-to-last episode to attack Trump directly.
Robert De Niro appeared during a “Colbert Questionert” segment and referenced the Epstein files.
“Cause I thought it would’ve been two million point five, or two and a half million,” De Niro jeered. “That’s the number of Epstein files Trump still hasn’t released.”
Bruce Springsteen also used the appearance to defend Colbert and criticize Paramount.
“I am here tonight in support for Stephen because you’re the first guy in America who’s lost his show because we’ve got a president who can’t take a joke,” Springsteen told the audience.
He later accused Paramount executives of trying to appease Trump. “Larry and David Ellison feel they need to kiss his a– to get what they want,” Springsteen added.
The White House fired back Thursday in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck with no talent and terrible ratings, which is exactly why CBS canceled his show and is booting him off the airwaves,” a spokesperson said.
Hours later, Trump himself weighed in again on Truth Social after the finale aired.
🚨 LMFAO! President Trump was just asked about Stephen Colbert's FINAL show tomorrow night, he will officially be done
Q: What is your message to Colbert?
TRUMP: "I'll have a message at a later date."
Get ready for a REALLY long and scathing TRUTH 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Gw11xij3Qf
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 20, 2026
“Colbert is finally finished at CBS,” Trump wrote. “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!”
“Others, of even less talent, to soon follow,” Trump added. “May they all Rest in Peace!”
Trump twisted the knife on Friday night with an AI-generated video that he posted of him tossing Colbert into a dumpster, then dancing to the Village People’s “YMCA.”