U.S. President Donald Trump has celebrated the announced cancellation of satirical writer Stephen Colbert’s late-night show. “I love that Colbert got fired,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. “His talent was even lower than his ratings,” he said about the host, who is known for his sharp humor and repeated criticism of the U.S. president. Previously, the American network CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end in May 2026. As Colbert is considered irreplaceable, the show will be discontinued. The host took over The Late Show, which began in 1993, from David Letterman a decade ago.

Paramount Under Pressure

CBS stated that the move was a “purely financial decision” in light of the fierce competition in late-night television. They emphasized that it was unrelated to audience numbers, content, or internal company decisions. The network has reasons to clarify this: Colbert often mocks Donald Trump on his show, and CBS’s parent company, Paramount, has been under fire from the U.S. president in recent months.

Trump has made accusations against the producers of CBS’s 60 Minutes. Last year, they aired a long interview with Kamala Harris—Trump’s rival in the race for the White House—which he claimed was edited to hide a weak answer. 60 Minutes denied the accusation and published a full transcript to refute it. Trump took the matter to court. And although U.S. media law experts considered the company’s legal position strong, Paramount reached a $16 million settlement.

“Big, Fat Bribe Payment”

Paramount currently needs approval from the U.S. government for a change in ownership that has been under negotiation for some time. Colbert referred to the settlement with Trump on his show this week as “a big, fat bribe payment.” Host Jimmy Kimmel, who has led ABC’s Late Night Show since 2003, expressed his support for Colbert while also mocking CBS. “I