Stephen Colbert declares himself a 'martyr' and warns the 'gloves are off' in searing response to Trump

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Stephen Colbert jokingly referred to himself as a 'martyr' before delivering a crude, star-studded response to his cancellation and Donald Trump taking glee in his talk show's end.
The comedian's decade-long run as the host of The Late Show will end next May, with many speculating that the top-rated show was canceled because it was losing tens of millions of dollars.
Others - including long-time comedy partner Jon Stewart on his Daily Show Monday - suggested Paramount - who owns both CBS and Comedy Central - were doing it to appease Trump, who is often on the end of Colbert's quips.
Colbert, who briefly addressed the move Friday, devoted much of his show to the controversy, eventually bringing on almost every other late-night talk show host, Adam Sandler and even Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The 61-year-old comic opened by saying ' cancel culture has gone too far' and then joked that now that the show is ending, he can say whatever he feels.
Colbert said sarcastically of Paramount: 'They made one mistake, they left me alive! For the next ten months, the gloves are off!'
The Late Show host referenced Trump's post to Truth Social over the weekend, when the president wrote he 'absolutely love[s] that Colbert' got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.'
The comic immediately then turned to an 'Eloquence Cam' and said: 'Go f*** yourself.'
The comic turned to an 'Eloquence Cam' and said 'Go f*** yourself' to Trump in response to the president's glee in his cancellation
He then referenced Trump stating in the same post: 'I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.'
Colbert replied: 'Nope, no, no. Absolutely not. Kimmel, I am the martyr. There's only room for one on this cross. And the view is fantastic from up here. I can see your house!'
He also said that cancellation he could finally admit what he felt about the president.
In contrast to his often hysterical anti-Trump monologues, he dryly, quietly said: 'I don't care for him. Doesn't seem to have the skill set to be president. Just not a good fit, that's all.'
He addressed his bosses at CBS - who he said 'have always been great partners' - before talking about Paramount's decision to cancel the show which he took over from David Letterman in 2015.
'How could it be a purely financial decision if The Late Show's is number onein ratings? A lot of folks are asking that question, mainly my staff's parents and spouses.'
Colbert's axing came just days after he sniped at CBS bosses for settling with Trump, branding the deal a 'big fat bribe.'
He referenced a story from The New York Post saying the show lost $40-$50million last year, though some have suggested its as high as $100million.
'I could see us losing $24 million but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million, oh...' he quipped, referencing the amount the company settled with Trump for over his 60 Minutes lawsuit.
He went back to bashing Trump and the recent news accusing him of writing a letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his birthday.
'I'll have more to say about all this after the commercial break. The only other story is a small one... the president is buddies with a pedophile.'
In the show's second segment, Colbert pulled out every name from his celebrity address book.
He brought out Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and long-time parody songwriter 'Weird Al' Yankovic.
The show then parodied the recent Coldplay kiss cam scandal as the pair performed a take on the band's hit 'Viva la Vida' with Yankovic's trademark accordion in tow.
He then cut to various famous people in pairs on the 'kiss cam,' including CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and Bravo stalwart Andy Cohen, who pretended to make out.
Adam Sandler and Happy Gilmore co-star Christopher McDonald, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers and John Oliver and Jon Stewart also appeared.
Puck journalist Matthew Belloni revealed Colbert's astonishing lack of profitability Friday, hours after CNN first broke the news that the show was canceled because it was in the red.
Belloni outlined how The Late Show - whose cancelation was announced Thursday - costs $100m a year to produce, with Colbert, 61, getting paid between $15 million and $20 million a year to host.
Colbert beats ABC and NBC rivals Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon in the ratings, but that still wasn't enough to save him.
Late night shows have slumped in profitability in recent years as viewers shun the format in favor of streaming services or watching content on their phones.
Advertiser revenue has slumped sharply even in the last three years, Puck reported, making it harder to pull Colbert's show out of the red.
Colbert was reported to be 'not angry, actually' about his cancelation and was chatting with his staff in a 'matter-of-fact' way before Thursday's show, Puck reported.
Colbert, who will broadcast his final show in May 2026, was first informed his show was on the chopping block around July 4, it is claimed. Paramount Co-CEO George Cheeks made the decision, Puck reported.
He the went on vacation, giving bosses at CBS time to plot behind his back, CNN reported.
Colbert had news of his cancelation confirmed Thursday.
He moved to share it as quickly as possible so that his staff would not learn of their impending unemployment via leaks to the press.
All three major late night hosts - Colbert, Kimmel and Fallon - have become notorious for their regular rants about President Trump, which many viewers have complained are boring and off-putting.
But Belloni said he didn't believe the famously anti-MAGA Colbert was axed to appease Donald Trump, who recently won a $15 million payout from CBS after suing them over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris he said was deceptively edited.
The axing of Colbert has delighted Trump, who posted about it on his TruthSocial network earlier today.
Colbert's ouster could also make it easier for CBS parent company Paramount's efforts to merge with media company Skydance in a deal that must be approved by Trump's Federal Communications Commission.
The Late Show launched in 1993 under David Letterman to compete with longtime late night juggernaut The Tonight Show.
Colbert took over from Letterman in 2015 after his retirement.
More than three decades later, CBS's entry into the late night sphere sits at the top, with second-best Jimmy Kimmel Live! raking in an average of 1.772 million viewers.
Colbert, by comparison, collects an average of 2.417 million.
Colbert - who once played a conservative character on Comedy Central's satirical late night program The Colbert Report - often aired jokes at the conservative's expense.
Trump celebrated the news of the show's cancellation as a result.
'I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,' he wrote in a Friday Truth Social post.
'I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert,' he added, before talking up right-wing Fox New star Greg Gutfeld.
'[He's] better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show,' Trump added, referring to Jimmy Fallon.