Trump calls Stephen Colbert 'no talent' as comedian signs off from 'Late Show'

Stephen Colbert bid an emotional farewell to “The Late Show” after 11 seasons, closing out his run with Paul McCartney and sharp remarks about CBS canceling the long-running program. The show’s end sparked backlash from critics who viewed the move as a blow to political satire and free speech.

Kokkai Ng/Reuters

22 May 2026 at 08:36:18

Trump calls Stephen Colbert 'no talent' as comedian signs off from 'Late Show'

FILE PHOTO: Stephen Colbert arrives for The Hollywood Reporter's The Most Powerful People in Media, in New York, U.S., May 7, 2026.

Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Comedian Stephen Colbert signed off from his late-night talk show on Thursday (May 21) after 11 seasons with a sentimental chat with Beatles musician Paul McCartney and pointed jokes about his forced departure from CBS.

When the show concluded, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Colbert had "no talent".

Before Thursday's show, fans outside the theatre lamented the end of not just Colbert's run but also the "Late Show" as an institution. Colbert, 62, took over the show from David Letterman in 2015.

CBS announced last July that it was cancelling the "Late Show", citing financial reasons. The decision to end the top-rated late-night talk show sparked an outcry, however, from Democrats and other critics who saw it as a move to silence political satire in violation of the First Amendment's free speech protection.

-Kokkai Ng/Reuters