Stephen Colbert Comes Out Swinging After “Late Show” Cancellation

Stephen Colbert had an unflinching message for US President Donald Trump in his first broadcast since his “Late Show” was cancelled amid a political firestorm — “the gloves are off.” Colbert, who addressed the cancellation of his show by a broadcaster that has been widely accused of seeking to curry favor with Trump for business reasons, came out swinging — telling Trump to “go f**k yourself.”

The cancellation of “The Late Show” has sparked widespread outrage, with many accusing CBS of caving to pressure from the Trump administration. The network’s decision to axe the show comes just days after Colbert skewered CBS for settling a lawsuit with Trump, accusing it of paying a “big fat bribe” of $16 million to the president.

Trump reveled in the firing of one of his most prolific detractors, posting on his Truth Social platform that “I absolutely love that Colbert was fired.” Colbert joked Monday that it had always been his dream starting out as an improv comic in Chicago in the 1980s to have a sitting president celebrate the end of his career.

Colbert disputed the logic of CBS, which insisted the cancellation was “purely a financial decision.” He said that in an anonymous leak over the weekend, CBS had appeared to suggest his show lost $40 million last year. Colbert joked that he could account for losing $24 million annually — but wasn’t to blame for the other $16 million, a reference to CBS News’s settlement with Trump.

Monday’s cold open was an unsparing riff on Trump demanding that the Washington Commanders change its name back to its former name, which was widely considered a slur against Native Americans. The segment suggested Trump sought to rename the franchise the “Washington Epsteins,” in reference to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, whom it has been widely reported was close to Trump.

Colbert returned to this topic after addressing his show’s cancellation, proclaiming that they had killed his show but not him, and doing a deep dive on reporting about just how close Trump and Epstein were. It was a formula that would have been familiar to fans of the show: the deadly serious leavened with humor and quick wit.

Outside the taping at Midtown Manhattan’s Ed Sullivan theater, protesters held placards that said “Colbert Stays! Trump Must Go!” Audience member Elizabeth Kott, a 48-year-old high school teacher, called Colbert’s firing “terrible.” “It’s really awful that it’s come to that in this country, where companies feel the need to obey in advance. It’s really awful,” she told AFP.

Colbert’s lead guest Monday, acclaimed actress Sandra Oh, did not hold back, proclaiming a “plague on CBS and Paramount” — the network on which Colbert’s channel is broadcast and its media giant proprietor. Colbert’s lip trembled as Oh paid tribute to his work speaking truth to power while staying funny.

Colbert’s other guest, actor Dave Franco, said he had loved Colbert’s work in everything from “The Daily Show” to “The Colbert Report” and then “The Late Show.” It was on “The Daily Show,” under the supervision of comic “anchor” Jon Stewart, that Colbert perfected his alter-ego — a blowhard conservative reporter whose studied ignorance parodied actual right-wing broadcasters night after night.

Before long, he took one of the most coveted chairs in US television — host of the CBS late-night slot. Colbert dropped his arrogant conservative persona and cultivated a reputation as one of the most trusted yet funniest figures on US television. Through the coronavirus pandemic, he became a reassuring presence for millions, broadcasting from a spare room in his house and narrating the challenges he faced alongside his wife Evelyn.

He also became an arch-critic of Trump, skewering the president for everything from his policies to his fondness for Hannibal Lecter. As Colbert wrapped up Monday’s show, he told his studio audience that “I was nervous coming out here.” “I will miss you.”