On Tuesday night, following the broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony on CBS, President Donald Trump directed his anger not at his historic role as the host of the event, but at late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert. Trump, who has faced continuous mockery from Colbert on The Late Show, took to his Truth Social platform to vent about the comedian’s criticism.
In a post at 12:16 a.m. ET, Trump called Colbert “a pathetic trainwreck” with no talent or any qualities needed for success in show business. He further criticized Colbert for allegedly worsening after being “terminated by CBS” and accused him of relying on “hatred and fumes” in his comedy. Trump suggested that CBS should cancel The Late Show immediately, calling it “the humanitarian thing to do.”
A follow-up post seven minutes later read, “Which network has the worst Late Night host? CBS, ABC, or NBC??? They all share three things in common: high salaries, no talent, and REALLY low ratings!”
Trump also reiterated his call for the U.S. government to revoke the broadcast licenses of TV networks that, according to him, are “almost 100% negative” toward him and his political movement. He specifically targeted the late-night shows, urging that the government should terminate their broadcast licenses if they continue their “negative” coverage. He ended the string of posts with a “Merry Christmas!!!”
The The Late Show episode that aired on December 23 was a rerun, originally aired on December 8. During the monologue, Colbert had already poked fun at Trump’s involvement with the Kennedy Center, particularly his controversial takeover of the position as chair of the Kennedy Center’s board.
Colbert mocked the idea of the president running a prestigious arts institution while overseeing global crises. “Mr. President, Russia has just launched another round of missiles. But first, let’s rehearse ‘Oklahoma,’ and the blocking is uninspired,” Colbert quipped.
Later in the monologue, Colbert responded to Trump’s remarks about his hosting duties for the Kennedy Center Honors. Trump had previously suggested that if he couldn’t outperform comedian Jimmy Kimmel in hosting the event, then he shouldn’t be president. Colbert responded, “You can’t and you shouldn’t,” pointing out Trump’s confusion about the hosts, since Kimmel had never hosted the ceremony. Colbert reminded his audience that he had hosted the event three times before Trump’s presidency.
Additionally, Colbert ridiculed Trump for receiving the “fake” FIFA Peace Prize and the Hooters National Book Award. He compared Trump’s faux peace prize to receiving a knock-off video game system for Christmas. “It’s like asking for a Super Nintendo and getting a ‘Super Retendo,’” Colbert joked.
After CBS announced that The Late Show would end in May 2026, Trump gloated over Colbert’s upcoming departure, stating, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired.” Colbert quickly fired back on his show, using strong language directed at the president (the expletive was censored for broadcast).
CBS explained the decision to cancel The Late Show as a “purely financial” one, citing the overall decline in the economics of late-night television. Despite this, CBS chose to minimize references to Trump’s name during the airing of the Kennedy Center Honors on December 23. Although a voiceover described the special as “the Trump Kennedy Center Honors on CBS,” an on-screen graphic described it as “A Donald J. Trump and Kennedy Center Production.” Meanwhile, CBS News reportedly instructed staffers to continue referring to the venue by its original name in their coverage.
