Stephen Colbert wants you to believe he's some kind of martyred truth-teller, canceled by the evil corporate overlords for daring to speak truth to power about Donald Trump.
He’s not.
It's a compelling narrative, if you're the type who still thinks late-night comedy hosts are brave crusaders rather than overpaid establishment mouthpieces. But, rather than accept reality, he’s leaning into the preferred narrative that he’s being silenced and that it’s President Trump’s fault.
On Monday night, the soon-to-be-unemployed CBS host delivered a profanity-laced rant aimed at the president.
His show cancellation apparently struck a nerve with Colbert, who responded in his monologue with the kind of smug self-satisfaction that helped tank his ratings in the first place. He then proceeded to make his cancellation entirely about Trump.
“For the next 10 months, the gloves are off,” he said. “I can finally speak unvarnished truth to power and say what I really think about Donald Trump.”
As if he hasn’t been saying what he really thinks about Trump for the past decade.
Colbert pushed the conspiracy theory that the cancellation was due to his rant against Paramount for settling Trump’s lawsuit. He questioned how “The Late Show” could be a financial disaster when it’s number one in the ratings.
Then he set his sights on Trump, who had had the audacity to celebrate the show’s well-deserved cancellation.
“How dare you, sir?” Colbert said in mock outrage, before mockingly asking if an “untalented man” could deliver what he proudly called a “satirical witticism.” Then, in what he surely thought was a moment of comedic brilliance, Colbert stared into his so-called “Eloquence Cam” and barked, “Go f— yourself.”
Classy. Just the kind of highbrow, thoughtful commentary we’ve come to expect from a late-night host who spent the past decade playing a DNC speechwriter in a suit.
Trump also took aim at Jimmy Kimmel, suggesting he might be next to get the boot and saying Kimmel has “even less talent than Colbert.”
Colbert, clearly rattled by the idea of losing his position as the left’s favorite cause of the moment, replied, “Nope, no, no. Absolutely not. Kimmel, I am the martyr. There’s only room for one on this cross. And the view is fantastic from up here. I can see your house!”
There’s no ambiguity there. Colbert wants to be seen as the martyr, and he’s going to milk that spin so hard to line up his next gig — though something tells me he’ll just launch a podcast from his basement.
One thing is for sure: He knows this wasn’t about politics. It was about failure — expensive, embarrassing, and unsustainable failure.
CBS didn’t pull the plug because of Colbert's Trump jokes. They pulled it because “The Late Show” was a financial disaster. The network was shelling out around $100 million a year on production costs, including Colbert’s own $15 million salary. And despite topping the time slot in ratings, the show was bleeding $40 million annually. When your so-called “hit” is a massive money pit, it’s not success; it’s subsidized vanity.
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This wasn’t some last-minute ambush, either. Colbert and his defenders are pushing the narrative that his cancellation was political payback because it happened after he took a jab at Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump. But the timeline tells a different story. According to industry insiders, CBS had already asked Colbert to take a pay cut before the current season even started. The network had been quietly sounding the alarm for months.
Colbert’s spin — that he was fired for bravely speaking truth to power — falls apart under scrutiny. This wasn’t political retribution. It was business reality. He got the axe because he stopped being worth the cost, and CBS finally stopped pretending otherwise.
This is what happens when Hollywood's fake martyrs finally meet reality. While Colbert plays victim, PJ Media VIP has been exposing the truth about liberal media's manufactured narratives and financial disasters. Join PJ Media VIP with promo code FIGHT for 60% off and get exclusive content that cuts through the mainstream media's lies. Don't wait — support fearless conservative journalism that puts America First.