Topline
Stephen Colbert addressed the cancellation of ‘The Late Show’ in his monologue on Monday night, where he repeatedly attacked President Donald Trump and vowed the “gloves are off,” for the next 10 months while he is still on air, as several celebrities and fellow late-night show hosts appeared at the Ed Sullivan Theater to show their support.
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert promised that the "gloves are off" for the remaining 10 months ... More
Colbert, who briefly addressed the cancellation on Thursday, tackled the issue during his monologue and said that it “sunk in over the weekend that they’re killing off our show…but they made one mistake, they left me alive.”
As the crowd cheered his name, the late-night host said, “Now for the next 10 months, the gloves are off,” and joked that he can finally say what he really thinks about Donald Trump.
The comedian pointed out that many have been questioning “the timing of this decision,” which came just days after he called out the network and its parent company for agreeing to a $16 million settlement with Trump.
Colbert noted CBS said “very nice things about me and…the show,” and claimed the cancellation was a “purely financial decision,” but when people pointed out that his show was number one in ratings, the network followed up with a “gracious anonymous leak” suggesting his show was losing between $40-50 million a year.
Saying that $40 million was a big number, Colbert joked he could see the show losing $24 million, but “where would Paramount have possibly spent the other $16 million,” referencing the settlement with Trump.
Colbert brought up Trump’s Truth Social post, saying, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.” As the audience jeered, Colbert reacted with mock outrage and said: “How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?” He then turned to the camera and said: “Go f— your self.” On Trump’s comment that Jimmy Kimmel was “next,” the Late Show host quipped: “Nope, no, no. Absolutely not. Kimmel, I am the martyr. There’s only room for one on this cross.” The rest of the monologue pivoted towards Trump’s ties with disgraced former financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as Colbert said: “The only other story out there, it's kind of a small one. The president was buddies with a pedophile.”
In an apparent public display of support for their colleague, many other prominent late-night hosts briefly appeared during the broadcast. Last Week Tonight‘s John Oliver, The Tonight Show‘s Jimmy Fallon, Late Night‘s Seth Meyers and The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart were shown sitting in the audience. They were joined by a few other famous guests, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Weird Al Yankovic, Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper and Adam Sandler.
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Trump Attacks Stephen Colbert After Late Show Cancellation As He Claims ‘Jimmy Kimmel Is Next’ (Forbes)