Stephen Colbert

Shortly after Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle Donald Trump's lawsuit concerning a 60 Minutes interview, Colbert strongly criticised the agreement on air. CBS then announced the end of The Late Show in May 2026. The timing fuelled suspicions of political retaliation.

State of the evidence

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Directly implicated

CBS decided not to broadcast Colbert's interview with James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Texas, citing the risk created by the FCC's equal-time rule. Colbert publicly attacked the decision, and the interview was posted online, where it attracted several million views.

State of the evidence

Documented

Colbert used an extremely vulgar sexual expression to describe the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. #FireColbert circulated widely, and some critics, including Trump opponents, considered that the wording relied on a homophobic image.

State of the evidence

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Personally implicated

At the Emmys hosted by Colbert, former White House spokesperson Sean Spicer appeared to parody his own exaggerated claims about the size of Trump's inauguration crowd. The joke prompted criticism that Hollywood was helping rehabilitate or normalise an official associated with demonstrably false statements.

State of the evidence

Documented

An official promotional account for The Colbert Report posted an out-of-context line from Colbert using an Asian caricature. The line came from a segment mocking the Washington Redskins owner and his response to criticism of the team's name. Removed from that context, the tweet triggered the #CancelColbert campaign and accusations of racism.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Colbert created Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, a real super PAC used as a satirical experiment to demonstrate how easily large sums could enter politics following Citizens United. The organisation raised over one million dollars and Colbert briefly staged a mock presidential candidacy.

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Directly implicated

Performing before George W. Bush, Stephen Colbert delivered an in-character satirical speech directly attacking the Iraq War, the president's poor polling and the media's alleged complacency. The room reacted much more coolly than online audiences, and the performance sparked a national debate over the limits of political satire.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated