Trump calls Stephen Colbert 'no talent' as he signs off final 'Late Show

'You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk. Thank goodness he’s finally gone,' U.S. President Donald Trump wrote.

"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" during Thursday's finale show. 'You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk. President Trump on Friday celebrated the cancellation of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" and suggested other late-night TV hosts would also shortly be on the chopping block.

Stephen Colbert chatted with Paul McCartney and joined him on stage for a raucous performance of "Hello, Goodbye" on the final broadcast of CBS' "The Late Show" on Thursday night, a bittersweet farewell for a canceled show that still had a few barbs left for the network that ended its 33-year run. Nothing, save for a performance of “Hello, Goodbye” by the great Paul McCartney, was memorable.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the story as ""The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" during Thursday's May 21, 2026, finale show.." The Independent reported the story as "Stephen Colbert’s Late Show farewell ushers in new era as comedy stars ditch TV for podcasting riches." New York Post reported the story as "Stephen Colbert's final 'Late Show' wasn't funny or emotional at all — just like his last 11 years."

Coverage is split across the political spectrum: 4 center outlets, 7 right-leaning outlets. L1FE compares the framing across these sources rather than amplifying any single outlet's interpretation.

12 sources have covered this story, including New York Post, The Independent, Washington Times and St. Louis Post-Dispatch and 8 other outlets. The earliest reporting in the cluster landed 58 minutes ago.

Source accounts have not fully aligned on every figure tied to this story (different reports cite 11, 21,); the published L1FE summary holds those specifics open until more sources converge.