On the first broadcast after CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end after its upcoming season, Stephen Colbert answered Donald Trump’s celebration of the news with a blunt punchline: “Go fuck yourself.”
What Colbert said to Trump
Trump had posted on Truth Social celebrating that Colbert had been fired. On his next broadcast, Colbert mocked Trump’s judgment of his talent before setting up the insult as a satirical witticism. “Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?” he asked, then said: “Go fuck yourself.” CNN’s transcript records the exchange; Variety also reported on Trump’s post and Colbert’s response.
What happened before the punchline
CBS announced in May 2025 that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end after the then-upcoming season. Colbert addressed the decision on air, acknowledged CBS’s statement about him and the program, and said his greatest thanks went to the people who made the show. CNN’s transcript describes the crew as 200 people; that is the figure reported in the transcript, not an independently audited employment count.
Colbert’s response to Trump came on the following broadcast, making the line a reaction to Trump’s public celebration rather than part of Colbert’s initial remarks about the cancellation. CNN’s transcript provides the broadcast sequence and wording.
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Why was The Late Show cancelled?
CBS characterized the decision as “a purely financial decision,” according to the statement quoted in CNN’s transcript. Colbert challenged that account on air, asking how the decision could be purely financial if the show was number one in the ratings. That ratings position was his claim in the broadcast, not a separate ratings figure established by the reporting cited here.
CNN also reported that a person close to Colbert described the cancellation as “a casualty of the merger,” referring to Paramount’s merger with Skydance. That is an attributed account, distinct from CBS’s public explanation; it does not by itself establish the company’s internal reasoning.
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Was the cancellation political?
The announcement prompted political reaction and debate. The Guardian reported on the controversy, including criticism from Jon Stewart and questions about the merger. Those responses are commentary and public reaction, not proof that political pressure caused CBS’s decision.
The available reporting establishes what CBS said publicly, what Colbert argued on air, and what an unnamed person close to him told CNN. It does not establish the company’s internal motive or demonstrate that political pressure determined the cancellation.
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