The network\u2019s stunning decision \u2014 apparently \u201cpurely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night\u201d \u2014 was met with disappointment and shock from Colbert\u2019s loyal viewers, concern from his late-night cohorts and delight from his critics, notably President Trump. On his Truth Social app, Trump wrote<\/a> that Colbert\u2019s \u201ctalent was even less than his ratings\u201d and took an additional swipe at Jimmy Kimmel, who he claimed \u201chas even less talent than Colbert.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier in his monologue, Colbert, 61, told his in-studio audience and viewers that until the \u201cLate Show\u201d goes dark in May, the gloves are officially off and \u201che can finally speak unvarnished truth to power and say what I really think about Donald Trump.\u201d Colbert, who took over the \u201cLate Show\u201d from original host David Letterman in 2015, has long been critical of Trump, even before the former reality TV star and businessman took office. Since becoming president, Trump has given Colbert and his late-night cohorts plenty of material to work with. <\/p>\n In recent weeks, Colbert chided his own bosses for their decision to cave to Trump by settling the president\u2019s lawsuit over \u201c60 Minutes\u201d edits, a case that most 1st Amendment experts called frivolous. Paramount agreed to pay $16 million<\/a>, with most of that going to Trump\u2019s future presidential library.<\/p>\n Though Colbert kept things mostly light in his monologue, he questioned CBS\u2019 justification for canceling his show. \u201cHow could it be a \u2018purely financial decision\u2019 if \u2018The Late Show\u2019 is number one in ratings? It\u2019s confusing,\u201d he said, echoing concerns that fans have also voiced on social media. He continued his segment, citing reports that specified the alleged losses were somewhere between $40 million and $50 million. <\/p>\n \u201c$40 million\u2019s a big number. I could see us losing $24 million, but where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million \u2014 oh yeah,\u201d he said, alluding to the settlement<\/a>. <\/p>\n Mulling on Trump\u2019s diss on Truth Social, Colbert joked about the president\u2019s desire to see Kimmel\u2019s program go dark: \u201cI\u2019m the martyr. There\u2019s only room for one on this cross and I gotta tell you the view is fantastic up here.\u201d<\/p>\n Amid the cancellation news, Colbert has found support in his fellow late-night peers including \u201cThe Daily Show\u201d host Jon Stewart (\u201cThe Daily Show\u201d airs on Comedy Central, also owned by Paramount) and \u201cLast Week Tonight\u201d host John Oliver, among others. On Monday, the late-night personalities took their support to the Ed Sullivan Theater, which Colbert has called home for the majority of the past decade. <\/p>\n In a segment<\/a> spoofing that viral kiss-cam fiasco<\/a> at a recent Coldplay concert, guests Lin Manuel-Miranda and \u201cWeird Al\u201d Yankovic perform a version of \u201cViva La Vida,\u201d and the camera pans to the audience where Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Stewart and Oliver are spotted in the crowd. The hush-hush pair exposed by the kiss-cam? An animated Trump lovingly cuddling the Paramount logo. <\/p>\n Though Letterman didn\u2019t return to his old stomping grounds to join the other late-night stars on Monday, his YouTube account shared a 20-minute compilation<\/a> of him throwing shade at CBS throughout his \u201cLate Show\u201d tenure. \u201cYou can\u2019t spell CBS without BS,\u201d says the description for the video. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753246388_552_hqdefault.jpg\")
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