Trump gloats over Colbert's axing, hints Kimmel could be next in late-night purge

Former President Donald Trump wasted no time celebrating the announced cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, calling it a long-overdue decision and taking shots at other late-night hosts. In a Friday morning post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.” He added that Jimmy Kimmel might be next, saying, “Has even less talent than Colbert!”

CBS confirmed Thursday that Colbert’s long-running late-night program will end in May 2026. The network attributed the decision to financial pressures, calling it a business move amid declining viewership across the late-night landscape. But the timing has raised eyebrows. The news broke just two weeks after CBS parent company Paramount Global settled a lawsuit with Trump for $16 million, following his claims that a 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris had been deceptively edited.

Colbert directly addressed the settlement on-air, joking that the payout felt like ‘a big, fat bribe.’ He said he was offended by the deal and questioned Paramount’s motives, adding, “Just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”

Speculation quickly swirled that Colbert’s cancellation may have been politically motivated. Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted Thursday, “America deserves to know if his show was cancelled for political reasons.” The move has ignited fierce debate across political and media circles.

Trump, meanwhile, praised Fox News host Greg Gutfeld as ‘better than all of them combined,’ and even took aim at NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, blaming him for ruining The Tonight Show.

Colbert told his studio audience that he was ‘not being replaced’ and that CBS is ending the show entirely. “It’s not just the end of our show, it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS,” he said. “Yeah, I share your feelings.”