Trump Calls Stephen Colbert a “Pathetic Trainwreck” and Demands CBS Cancel His Show Immediately

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On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump strongly criticized Stephen Colbert, calling him a “pathetic trainwreck” and demanding that CBS cancel “The Late Show” right away, rather than letting it finish its planned run in May 2026.

The remarks followed a recent broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS, an event hosted by President Trump. He and his supporters have begun referring to the venue as the “Trump Kennedy Center,” a change some legal experts believe could be unlawful.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Donald Trump harshly criticized Stephen Colbert, calling him a failure with no talent. Trump noted Colbert’s recent firing by CBS and claimed his ratings are low. He went on to say Colbert is fueled by negativity and is failing, and even suggested CBS should permanently remove him from television, framing it as a compassionate act.

Just minutes later, Trump posted again, asking who the worst late-night talk show host was – on CBS, ABC, or NBC. He claimed they all share the same problems: high pay, lack of skill, and very low viewership. He also repeated his demand for the government to revoke the broadcast licenses of any networks he believes are unfairly biased against him.

Donald Trump questioned whether the broadcast licenses of news networks and late-night shows should be revoked because he believes they are overwhelmingly negative in their coverage of him, the MAGA movement, and the Republican Party. He concluded his message with a Christmas greeting.

The episode that aired on December 23rd was a repeat of the one from December 8th, which featured Sigourney Weaver and Mandy Patinkin as guests. During the original airing, Stephen Colbert made fun of Donald Trump’s involvement with the Kennedy Center Honors.

Colbert pointed out that this year’s Kennedy Center Honors was the first since Donald Trump became chair of the Kennedy Center’s board, which drew a negative reaction from the audience. He then joked that it seemed odd for a president to also run a theater, imagining a scenario where the president is informed of a missile attack but is preoccupied with an uninspired dress rehearsal for ‘Oklahoma!’

Colbert pointed out that Trump seemed to mix him up with Jimmy Kimmel, and also got the history of hosting the Kennedy Center Honors wrong. “Just to clarify,” Colbert said, jokingly referring to Trump as ‘Grandpa Puddin’ Skull,’ “I called Kimmel, and he’s never hosted the Honors. But I did – for three years before Trump became president.”

He continued to poke fun at Trump’s self-awarded “FIFA Peace Prize” and Hooters National Book Award, using funny analogies. He compared receiving the Peace Prize to asking your mom for a Super Nintendo for Christmas and getting a knock-off version called “Super Retendo” instead.

CBS had announced that “The Late Show” would finish up in May 2026, explaining the decision was due to financial challenges facing late-night television. Donald Trump reacted to the news with a celebratory tweet, saying he was glad Colbert was leaving. Colbert responded on his show with an expletive-filled reply that was bleeped out for broadcast.

As a film and TV buff, I found it interesting how CBS handled the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast on December 23rd. Apparently, the ceremony was filmed before they officially renamed the building to include Trump’s name. While they did acknowledge Trump through voiceovers and on-screen text, CBS News specifically told their team to stick with the original ‘Kennedy Center’ name when reporting on the event, according to the Washington Post. It was a subtle choice, but definitely noticeable if you were paying attention!

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2025-12-24 19:45