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

President Donald Trump lashed out at Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, calling the late-night host a “pathetic trainwreck” and urging CBS to end “The Late Show” immediately instead of waiting for its planned May 2026 finale.

The comments came after CBS aired the Kennedy Center Honors, hosted earlier this month by Trump himself at what he and his allies have started calling the Trump Kennedy Center, a move experts have said may be illegal.

Trump took to Truth Social in the early hours, writing, “Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success. Now, after being terminated by CBS, but left out to dry, he has actually gotten worse, along with his nonexistent ratings. Stephen is running on hatred and fumes ~ A dead man walking! CBS should, ‘put him to sleep,’ NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!”

He followed up minutes later with another post, “Who has the worst Late Night host, CBS, ABC, or NBC??? They all have three things in common: High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS!” Trump also renewed his call for the U.S. government to revoke broadcast licenses for networks that he says are biased against him.

“If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn’t their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated? I say, YES!” He ended his post with a holiday greeting: “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”

The episode in question, aired on Dec. 23, was a rerun from Dec. 8 featuring guests Sigourney Weaver and Mandy Patinkin. During the original broadcast, Colbert mocked Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center Honors.

“This year’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony is the very first since Trump installed himself as chair of the Kennedy Center’s board,” Colbert said, drawing boos from the audience. He joked, “Yeah, I kind of agree. It seems like the commander-in-chief shouldn’t have enough time to run a theater. ‘Mr. President, Mr. President, Russia has just launched another round of missiles. But first, dress rehearsal for ‘Oklahoma’ is underway, and the blocking is uninspired.’”

Colbert also highlighted Trump’s confusion over Jimmy Kimmel and his own role. “Just a quick brain check for Grandpa Puddin’ Skull: I called [Kimmel] and Jimmy Kimmel has never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors. But here’s the thing: I did, the three years leading up to Trump becoming president,” Colbert said.

He further mocked Trump’s “FIFA Peace Prize” and Hooters National Book Award with humorous comparisons, including calling the Peace Prize gift “like for Christmas if you ask your mom for a Super Nintendo and she gets you something called ‘Super Retendo.’”

CBS had previously announced that “The Late Show” would end in May 2026, citing financial reasons due to declining late-night TV economics. Trump, however, celebrated Colbert’s departure, tweeting, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” to which Colbert responded on the show with a censored retort: “Go f*** yourself.”

CBS mostly avoided using the “Trump Kennedy Center” name during the Dec. 23 broadcast, as the ceremony was recorded before Trump’s name was added to the building. A voiceover and on-screen graphics referenced Trump, but CBS News instructed staffers to continue using the original Kennedy Center name in coverage, according to the Washington Post.

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