Donald Trump is celebrating a major shakeup in late-night TV and firing back at the media in a series of social media posts.
On Friday, Trump took to Truth Social to express his excitement over CBS pulling the plug on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” Trump wrote. “His talent was even less than his ratings.”
CBS made the surprise announcement Thursday that it would cancel Colbert’s show, which has been on the air since 2015. The network claimed the move was driven purely by financial concerns, not content or political reasons. But for many, the timing raised questions — particularly after Colbert recently mocked CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, over a legal settlement with Trump.
“It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” CBS said in a statement, emphasizing the decision was based on business needs.
Trump also went after Colbert’s fellow late-night stars, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and NBC’s Jimmy Fallon.
In his Truth Social post, Trump dismissed Kimmel’s talent and declared that Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld was the new top dog in late-night TV.
“Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show,” Trump wrote. He also took a jab at Kimmel, saying, “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”
The cancellation of Colbert’s show caught attention for more than just the ratings. Some Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Adam Schiff, have called for transparency, questioning whether the decision had anything to do with political motivations.
“America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons,” Warren wrote on X (formerly Twitter), echoing concerns that the timing seemed suspicious. Schiff, a guest on the show, agreed, adding, “If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.”
While Colbert has been one of Trump’s fiercest critics, frequently mocking him and hosting Democratic guests, the comedian’s recent criticisms of Paramount and its financial dealings with Trump may have made him a target.
During his Thursday night show, Colbert broke the news to his audience, expressing disappointment but maintaining a sense of humor about the situation.
“It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced,” Colbert said. “This is all just going away.”
In addition to his rant on Colbert, Trump also responded to a recent Wall Street Journal report about a letter he allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein back in 2003. The letter, which was reportedly shaped like a naked woman, ended with the line, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
Trump called the report “a pile of garbage” and vowed to take legal action against the outlet’s publisher, Rupert Murdoch.
“I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his ‘pile of garbage’ newspaper, the WSJ,” Trump wrote. “That will be an interesting experience!!!”
Trump also doubled down on his accusations against the media, writing that the news industry “has to learn to be truthful, and not rely on sources that probably don’t even exist.” He also claimed the Wall Street Journal was part of the larger political agenda against him, saying that he had already beaten other media outlets like ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and CBS’s 60 Minutes.
Additionally, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release any grand jury testimony related to the Epstein case, calling the ongoing media focus on Epstein “a SCAM” pushed by Democrats.
“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,” Trump wrote. “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”
