'Go f*** yourself': Stephen Colbert's curt message to Donald Trump after US President celebrates Late Show cancellation

Stephen Colbert did not mince words after Donald Trump endorsed the end of The Late Show.

Updated on: Jul 22, 2025, 10:11:07 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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The Late Show With Stephen Colbert is on its last legs after CBS, the network that airs it, decided to pull the plug on the popular talk show. While many have wondered if the reason for the cancellation is political, US President Donald Trump fanned those flames with a message full of glee over the show going off air. But the talk show host did not mince his words either.

Stephen Colbert called out Donald Trump in his monologue on The Late Show on Monday.

Stephen Colbert slams Donald Trump

In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.” This was right after Colbert broke the news on air that The Late Show is ending this year.

The talk show host responded to Trump in his opening monologue on Monday, the first episode of the show since the cancellation announcement. Taking a mock tone of contempt, Colbert read out Trump's post and added, “How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?”

Colbert then appeared in an on-screen frame that read Eloquence Cam, before he stared directly into the camera and said: “Go f*** yourself.” The f-bomb was bleeped out for the telecast, but the studio audience seemed to lap it up. There was a massive roar of cheer, followed by cheers of “Stephen! Stephen! Stephen!”

The preview of the monologue was shared by the Late Show on Instagram, too, with the caption: “Sticks and stones may break our bones but presidential turds can never hurt us.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Late Show (@colbertlateshow)

All about The Late Show cancellation

The Late Show will be ending with its 11th and final season, ending May 2026. Colbert, the host, announced this on air on Thursday, adding that he found out only on Wednesday. This has led to a few protests, both online and on ground, with protestors demanding: “Trump must go, Colbert must stay.” CBS has maintained that the show's cancellation is “purely a financial decision,” due to a years-long dwindling of ratings of late-night TV in the US.

People protest after CBS/Paramount announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert outside the Ed Sullivan Theater, in New York City, U.S., July 21, 2025. REUTERS/Ryan Murphy (REUTERS)

However, the timing of the announcement was suspect, many felt. It came immediately after Colbert slammed CBS for paying Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over an interview. Calling it a 'big fat bribe' on air, Colbert implied the payment was meant to ease things over for CBS' parent company Paramount Global's merger with Skydance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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