'Jimmy Kimmel is next': Trump gloats after cancellation of Colbert's 'Late Show'
Published in Political News
LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump is celebrating the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show" on CBS — and calling for even more late-night hosts to be axed.
"I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings," Trump wrote Friday morning on Truth Social. "I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!"
He added that Greg Gutfeld, who has a late-night show and co-hosts "The Five" on Fox News, "is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show," referring to Jimmy Fallon.
Although "Late Night" is the top-rated late-night broadcast show, "Gutfeld!" draws a bigger audience.
Colbert, 61, has hosted the show for a decade and shared the news of its cancellation Thursday night, noting that he was made aware of the decision only the night before. "The Late Show" will end in May.
"It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of 'The Late Show' on CBS," Colbert said. "I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away."
CBS said the decision was "purely financial." The cancellation comes after Colbert criticized the network's parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a lawsuit filed by Trump last year over the editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris. Colbert called the $16-million settlement a "big fat bribe" Monday night, noting that Paramount is awaiting federal approval for its $8-billion merger with Skydance Media.
Both branches of the Writers Guild called on New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James to investigate Paramount.
"Cancelations are part of the business, but a corporation terminating a show in bad faith due to explicit or implicit political pressure is dangerous and unacceptable in a democratic society," read a statement released Friday by the union.
Fellow late-night hosts have since criticized the show's cancellation.
"Love you Stephen. F— you and all your Sheldons CBS," Kimmel wrote in an Instagram story, referencing the network hits "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon."
"I'm just as shocked as everyone. Stephen is one of the sharpest, funniest hosts to ever do it. I really thought I'd ride this out with him for years to come," Jimmy Fallon posted in an Instagram story. "I'm sad that my family and friends will need a new show to watch every night at 11:30. But honestly, he's really been a gentleman and a true friend over the years — going back to The Colbert Report, and I'm sure whatever he does next will be just as brilliant."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who called for an investigation into the Paramount settlement this month, suggested that the move was politically motivated.
"CBS canceled Colbert's show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump — a deal that looks like bribery," she wrote Thursday night on X. "America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons."
"If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better," said Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who was a guest on the show Thursday night.
Trump had called for Colbert's termination in September.
"I briefly watched an interview of Stephen Colbert on highly government subsidized PBS, and found it fascinating for only one reason — Why would they be wasting time and the public's money on this complete and total loser?" he wrote on Truth Social. "He is not funny, which he gets paid far too much to be, he is not wise, he is VERY BORING, and his show is dying from a complete lack of viewers.
"CBS should terminate his contract and pick almost anyone, right off the street, who would do better, and for FAR LESS MONEY," he continued. "Or I could recommend someone, much more talented, and smarter, who would do it for FREE! The good news for Stephen is that the two DOPES on NBC & ABC are not much better than him!"
In a Variety interview published Wednesday, Kimmel shared his concerns about the Trump administration targeting him and his competitors.
"Well, you'd have to be naive not to worry a little bit. But that can't change what you're doing," the ABC late-night host told the outlet. "And maybe it is naive, but I have the hope that if and when the day comes that he does start coming after comedians, that even my colleagues on the right will support my right to say what I like. Now, I could be kidding myself, and hopefully we'll never find out. But if we do, I would hope that the outrage is significant."
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