Overview
- In late-night Truth Social posts, President Donald Trump called Stephen Colbert a “pathetic trainwreck” and “a dead man walking,” urging CBS to “put him to sleep” immediately.
- Trump also said broadcast licenses should be terminated if network newscasts and late-night shows are “almost 100% Negative” toward him, MAGA, and the Republican Party.
- CBS announced in July that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026, describing the decision as financial and not tied to the show’s content.
- Colbert responded on his show, saying “the gloves are off” and, after reading Trump’s post, telling the president, “Go f— yourself.”
- Trump’s tirade coincided with a CBS rerun of Colbert’s Dec. 8 episode that jabbed at the president’s Kennedy Center Honors role, and his “put him to sleep” phrasing drew concern for its connotations.