The FCC, CBS, Paramount and the Trump administration can suck it — or at least that was the sentiment on Wednesday night’s episode of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
“Bad news for fans of living,” Colbert began before explaining Kennedy’s announcement to his audience.
“Now, we have 10 more months of this show, and I want to give a measured, nonpartisan response here: Fuck you, you roid-addled nepo carnie!” Colbert said while flipping the bird on network TV.
After the audience erupted with applause, Colbert continued by explaining that Kennedy’s cuts were specifically aimed at 22 projects that are using mRNA technology to develop vaccines for respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu. Infectious disease experts credit mRNA for slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, The Associated Press reports. They say that mRNA is safe and failing to use the tech could result in difficulty quelling future pandemics.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business,” said Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations, told the AP.
Colbert then played a clip of Kennedy defending his decision, and when the clip ended, Colbert said:
“Counterpoint: Fuck you, you roadkill-munching Luddite human Slim Jim!”
“You’re going to kill people!” Colbert added, noting the National Library of Medicine reported that an estimated 14.4 million deaths were prevented thanks to the vaccines developed during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
Colbert’s F-bomb-filled tirade seems to be indicative of his general IDGAF attitude since he announced in July that CBS was canceling “The Late Show” and the decades-long “Late Show” franchise. The announcement that Colbert was getting the axe came shortly — and suspiciously — after CBS’ parent company Paramount settled a lawsuit with Trump over his claim that CBS News’ “60 Minutes” selectively edited an interview with 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the lead-up to the election.
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CORRECTION: This story has been amended to correct the name of Colbert’s show.