President Donald Trump took to social media on Tuesday to deny any involvement in the ouster of CBS late-night comedian Stephen Colbert, whose stint on “The Late Show” is set to end in May of 2026.
Trump made the comment first on his Truth Social platform, arguing that Colbert’s downfall was not the result of any demand he made or any action he took — instead saying that the longtime host had become “a victim to himself” because he wasn’t funny enough to get decent ratings.
“Everybody is saying that I was solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert from CBS, Late Night. That is not true!” Trump posted. “The reason he was fired was a pure lack of TALENT, and the fact that this deficiency was costing CBS $50 Million Dollars a year in losses — And it was only going to get WORSE!”
Trump cited reports that Colbert, despite bringing in some $60 million in advertising for his show, had operated at a $40 million loss because “The Late Show” had an annual price tag of $100 million.
He then went on to repeat his claim that Colbert would not be the only casualty with regard to late-night comedy, saying that comedians Jimmy Kimmel (“The Jimmy Kimmel Show” on ABC) and Jimmy Fallon (“The Tonight Show” on NBC) would be the next dominos to fall.
“Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel, and then, a weak, and very insecure, Jimmy Fallon,” he predicted. “The only real question is, who will go first? Show Biz and Television is a very simple business. If you get Ratings, you can say or do anything. If you don’t, you always become a victim. Colbert became a victim to himself, the other two will follow.”
Trump was responding to a number of people who have attempted to claim that Colbert was let go because of the ongoing merger with Paramount or due to the lawsuit that was just settled between Trump and the network over a creatively-edited interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) even claimed on the Senate floor on Tuesday that Colbert had been pulled off the air — despite the fact that he will remain with the network and continue to host the show until next May — because he made jokes about Trump.
President Donald Trump took to social media on Tuesday to deny any involvement in the ouster of CBS late-night comedian Stephen Colbert, whose stint on “The Late Show” is set to end in May of 2026.
Trump made the comment first on his Truth Social platform, arguing that Colbert’s downfall was not the result of any demand he made or any action he took — instead saying that the longtime host had become “a victim to himself” because he wasn’t funny enough to get decent ratings.
“Everybody is saying that I was solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert from CBS, Late Night. That is not true!” Trump posted. “The reason he was fired was a pure lack of TALENT, and the fact that this deficiency was costing CBS $50 Million Dollars a year in losses — And it was only going to get WORSE!”
Trump cited reports that Colbert, despite bringing in some $60 million in advertising for his show, had operated at a $40 million loss because “The Late Show” had an annual price tag of $100 million.
He then went on to repeat his claim that Colbert would not be the only casualty with regard to late-night comedy, saying that comedians Jimmy Kimmel (“The Jimmy Kimmel Show” on ABC) and Jimmy Fallon (“The Tonight Show” on NBC) would be the next dominos to fall.
“Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel, and then, a weak, and very insecure, Jimmy Fallon,” he predicted. “The only real question is, who will go first? Show Biz and Television is a very simple business. If you get Ratings, you can say or do anything. If you don’t, you always become a victim. Colbert became a victim to himself, the other two will follow.”
Trump was responding to a number of people who have attempted to claim that Colbert was let go because of the ongoing merger with Paramount or due to the lawsuit that was just settled between Trump and the network over a creatively-edited interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) even claimed on the Senate floor on Tuesday that Colbert had been pulled off the air — despite the fact that he will remain with the network and continue to host the show until next May — because he made jokes about Trump.
