Trump says CBS axed Stephen Colbert's show over $50M losses, not because of him: 'Pure lack of talent'

WASHINGTON, DC: In a fiery post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump distanced himself from the cancellation of CBS’ 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' claiming the show ended due to “a pure lack of talent and money.”

Trump didn’t stop there. He took fresh jabs at fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, predicting their shows could soon face the same fate.

The remarks follow Colbert’s satirical “clap back track” targeting Trump, after the president allegedly threatened legal action against Beyonce over claims she was paid millions to support Kamala Harris.

Donald Trump disowns Stephen Colbert’s firing, predicts collapse of late-night TV

Donald Trump says he had nothing to do with CBS’s decision to cancel 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.'

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, July 29, Trump pushed back against what he called a widespread belief that he was “solely responsible” for Colbert’s exit, calling the claim “not true!”

Instead, Trump blamed the show’s demise on what he described as a "lack of talent” and massive financial losses. Trump began the post: “Everybody is saying that I was solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert from CBS, ‘Late Night.' That is not true! The reason he was fired was a pure lack of talent and the fact that this deficiency was costing CBS $50 Million Dollars a year in losses, And it was only going to get worse!”

Trump didn’t stop with Colbert. He also took aim at other late-night hosts, predicting that ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and NBC’s Jimmy Fallon could soon be next. He described Kimmel as “even less talented” and labeled Fallon “weak, and very insecure,” adding: “The only real question is, who will go first? Show Biz and Television is a very simple business.”  

According to Trump, late-night television is simple: “If you get Ratings, you can say or do anything. If you don’t, you always become a victim. Colbert became a victim to himself, the other two will follow.”

Though not mentioned by name, Trump’s post came as 'Late Night With Seth Meyers' host Seth Meyers acknowledged uncertainty about the future of his own show.

“There is this weird thing that I feel like I shifted from fearing that I wouldn’t be good enough. And now my fear is weirdly more outside of my control, which is … just at some point, the ecosystem might not support [late-night],” Meyers said, pointing to the changing late-night landscape.

Social media erupts with mixed reactions to Donald Trump’s denial over Stephen Colbert’s firing

After Donald Trump took to Truth Social to deny any involvement in Stephen Colbert being "fired" from 'The Late Show,' internet users quickly jumped into the conversation with mixed reactions.

One commenter disagreed with Trump’s claim, writing, “Mr President, you did get him fired. The public chose to listen to and follow you over that loser. You should take credit and be proud that we look to you as our leader, not that two bit loser.”

Another chimed in, “Late night comedy is dead, people can go to bed early these days because it's a 🤡 🌏 show all f'n day long, no one needs it at night any longer. 🤣🤣🤣”

A Facebook user stated, “The highest rated late night show didn't cancel itself,” while another simply declared, “He definitely had that show canceled!!”

Others pushed back on the idea, with one supporter writing, “Trump had nothing to do with this.” Another user offered a blunt take: “It’s because it wasn’t funny ever.”

Comments continued to pile up, with one user arguing, “No one was watching. They lost millions. He’s not funny. He’s old. E Case closed.” Another added, “The ratings got him cancelled. It's been that way for the history of TV. Bad ratings and you fo bye bye.”

One commenter mocked, “Nobody believed you, Donnie.”    

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.