CBS is canceling The Late Show after the conclusion of Thursday’s episode. Since 2015, The Late Show has been hosted by Stephen Colbert, who by the time Thursday comes around will have hosted 1,801 episodes of the show that began under David Letterman in 1993.
Colbert’s tenure will be remembered for its partisan agenda of attacking Republicans and elevating Democrats. NewsBusters has compiled the following video montage and 39 quotes to show off some of the lowlights of the past 11 years.
Crusading Against Trump
Colbert made going after Donald Trump one of the signature aspects of his time as host of The Late Show. Here are some examples of his most vicious attacks against Trump and his supporters.
- “But right now, the election is too close to call and too terrifying to contemplate. The huge story is that Trump has outperformed expectations in early results. This one is a nail biter and a passport grabber. It feels like we are trying to avoid the apocalypse and half the country is voting for the asteroid.” – November 9, 2016
- “You are the Presi-dunce, but are turning into a real prick-tator. Sir, you attract more skinheads than free Rogaine. You have more people marching against you than cancer. You talk like a sign language gorilla who got hit in the head. In fact, the only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s [bleep] holster.” – May 1, 2017
- “It turns out he’s building out of the ground-up bones of poor people because this budget cuts things like the food stamp program, SNAP, and the children’s health insurance.” – May 23, 2017
- “Sir, they’re not [bleep]-hole countries. For one, Donald Trump isn’t their president.” – January 11, 2018
- “A snap in the air means we are heading into my favorite season, cause it’s Impeachment Eve. Tomorrow -- like little children! Tomorrow is the first day of televised impeachment hearings. I’m so excited, I won't be able to sleep.” – November 12, 2019
- “At this moment, there are 546 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!" Okay, let me think about that. You're a monster.” – March 9, 2020.
- “Trump’s debate performance last week was a hurricane of bad faith. It boarded on a demonstration of the banality of evil.” – October 7, 2020
- “You only survived this up until now because a lot of voters didn’t want to believe everything that was obvious to so many of us: That Donald Trump is a fascist. And when it comes to democracy versus fascism, I’m sorry, there are not fine people on both sides.” – November 5, 2020.
- “It may be hot outside, but in here it’s Christmas. Because yesterday, we all got the present we wanted: FBI agents raided Mar-a-Lago.” – August 9, 2022
- “Here in New York it was 40 degrees, but I still ate ice cream out of a baseball helmet. Why? Oh, just a little something worth celebrating today because literally three minutes before I walked out on this stage here, the New York Times reported a New York grand jury voted to indict former President Donald J. Trump. Oh! Oh! Come on! Come on! Thank you! Ladies and gentlemen! It’s right, he was-- ladies and gentlemen, he was right, we're finally saying Merry Christmas again.” – March 30, 2023
- “You can feel it in the air, folks. There are just five days until Christmas. But Santa came early last night when the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump is disqualified from holding office.” – December 20, 2023.
- “Now, the problem is, July 11 is a whole 38 days away. That is so long! I guess I’ll just have to pass the time with my Countdown to Sentencing Advent Calendar. Here we go. Got all 38 days here. Judge Merchan, Judge Merchan like that. Okay, today is day one, I'll open that up. There you go. Don’t go too far. Daddy’s drink burns.” – June 3, 2024
- “So, in 11 days we all get to find out finally whether we live in a fascist country.” – October 24, 2024.
- “All day yesterday, I was walking around proudly wearing my ‘I voted' sticker. Today, I wore my ‘I am questioning my fundamental belief in the goodness of humanity' sticker...This is a democracy. That's democracy with a capital 'Duh.' And in this duh-mocracy, the majority has spoken, and they said that they don't care that much about democracy.” – November 6, 2024
- “Over the weekend, his administration launched a nationwide immigration enforcement blitz. Really? Blitz, short for blitzkrieg? Just once, can we do fun German stuff?” – January 27, 2025
- “Republicans can eat a [bleep]. How ’bout that? Will that work? Would that be okay? You know what? You know what? You know what? In fact, let's be generous, they can eat a bag of [bleep].” – May 14, 2025
- “What’s going on in LA reminds us that as citizens, it is crucial to speak out against Trump’s fascist impulses, his rampant corruption, and his egregious violations of our norms and laws.” – June 17, 2025
- “Yes, do not compare ICE or Border Patrol agents to the Nazis. That’s an unfair comparison. The Nazis were willing to show their faces.” – January 26, 2026
- “Perhaps the most impressive of it all was this inflatable Trump pooping directly onto the Constitution. That is spectacular craftsmanship. Above all else. Whoever made that should be proud. ‘Cause one day, their grandchild will ask them how they resisted the rise of American fascism, and they can proudly say, ‘Well, Tyler. Your grandma and I worked round the clock with a team of fellow patriots to answer the essential question of democracy: Can we make an angry balloon that looks like it’s pooping fire? Yes, you can.’” – March 30, 2026
The Late Show’s Echo Chamber
There are multiple ways to judge which late night show is the most liberal. If the criteria is who brought on the most liberal guests, Colbert would be the winner. Here are some of Colbert’s most effusive moments when interacting with his guests.
- “My next guest has helped turn a civil dispute with a porn star into an existential threat to the Trump presidency. Please welcome attorney Michael Avenatti!” – May 3, 2018
- “What makes you happy? Where does your hope come from?” – January 11, 2019, to Kamala Harris.
- “Thanks so much for being with us, Governor, and thank you for everything you’re doing to keep our state safe and the public informed. How are you?” – May 7, 2020 to Andrew Cuomo
- “As someone who spent his life trying to push our nation forward, how does it feel for you to see so many voters returning to a person that I, for one, thought have been politically discredited even among his own party, Donald Trump.” – March 6, 2024 to Bernie Sanders.
- “So, cheers, there you go. Ooh. Tastes like the beautiful city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.” – October 8, 2024 while sharing a beer with Kamala Harris
- “So, let’s bring it in, coach, for one final pep talk to the voters out there maybe haven’t made up their mind and if you can give that pep talk using as many of these sports clichés as possible, that would be great.” – November 4, 2024 to Tim Walz.
- “He’s an all-star.” – February 4, 2025 reacting to W. Kamau Bell saying “Trump has one of the greatest resumes of racism in the history of racism.”
- “First woman to play Jesus in a major production, long overdue, I’ve said for years I’d love to see a woman in that part and what does that mean to you?” – June 6, 2025 to actress Cynthia Erivo.
- “Fear is the point of a lot of this.” – June 17, 2025 to Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois).
- “The thing is, I remember seeing Soviet posters basically saying in the West, women are not allowed to do any of this. It was a forward-looking feminist agenda to the communist enterprise.” – January 5, 2026 to journalist Julia Ioffe.
Liberal Culture Warrior
In 2025, Colbert told GQ that he is “more conservative than people think.” However, his time as host did not reflect such a claim. Even when the story had nothing to do with Trump, he continued attacking conservatives and promoting left-wing social causes.
- “Yes, telling people what to do is arrogant and paternalistic, By the way, ladies, no Planned Parenthood for you” – May 3, 2018
- “I think that at this point it’s clear that America’s gun culture is melting down, but the Republicans in Congress would rather maintain their power than save lives.” – August 5, 2019
- “America is drowning 100 feet below the surface, and Republicans are saying, "Okay. Here’s our compromise. Instead, we drown 60 feet below the surface.” – February 1, 2021
- “As it says in the good book, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, then you were arrested because white people in Georgia are terrified of Stacey Abrams.’” – April 5, 2021
- “Now, surprisingly Alito was joined in the decision by no one who would surprise you: Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. So, congratulations, ladies, decisions about what you can do with your body are now being made by four old dudes and a woman who thinks The Handmaid’s Tale is a rom-com.” – May 3, 2022
- “How big of an a-hole is Ron DeSantis? Gaping. Gaping.” – September 19, 2022
- “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror, and stop trying to score political points with your base at the expense of real human beings, you dick.” – March 1, 2023 about Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee banning gender-altering hormones for minors and banning drag shows in public spaces.
- “Well, that’s true, the modern GOP would never vote for Jesus, I mean, He was soft on Samaritans and commanded everyone to sell their possessions to give money to the poor, the guy was clearly a socialist. He was worse than a socialist, he was a Christian.” – October 16, 2023
- “But if someone calls you the C-word, putting up an insurrection flag is not the response. ‘Oh, you were rude to my wife? Well, we’re Nazis now.’” – May 20, 2024 on Sam and Martha-Ann Alito’s flags.
