Trump targets Stephen Colbert, says CBS should 'put him to sleep' without delay

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, December 23, launched a fresh barrage against 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's' host, branding him a “dead man walking” and urging CBS to “put him to sleep.”

“Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Referring to CBS’s earlier decision to cancel the show, Trump added that Colbert had been “terminated by CBS, but left out to dry,” and claimed his ratings were “nonexistent.”

He went further, writing, “Stephen is running on hatred and fumes ~ A dead man walking! CBS should, ‘put him to sleep’, NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!”

Trump takes broader swipe at late-night television

Trump expanded his criticism to the wider late-night television landscape, mocking the hosts across major networks.

“Who has the worst Late Night host, CBS, ABC, or NBC???” he wrote. “They all have three things in common: High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS!”

In another late-night post early Wednesday, Trump escalated his rhetoric by suggesting that television networks airing what he called overwhelmingly negative coverage of him should lose their broadcast licenses.

“If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn’t their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated?” Trump wrote in a 12.36 am Truth Social post. “I say, YES!”

The remarks targeted CBS, ABC, and NBC, continuing Trump’s long-running feud with major media organizations.

Trump’s victory lap over Stephen Colbert’s cancellation 

CBS announced the cancellation of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' in July, though the program is set to remain on air until May 2026.

Trump celebrated the decision earlier this year, declaring Colbert’s dismissal a personal victory and warning that another late-night host would be next.

“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,” Trump wrote at the time. “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”

Trump slams ABC over Jimmy Kimmel’s return

Trump also revisited his feud with ABC and 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'.

After the network briefly suspended the show earlier this year, it returned following a one-week hiatus, a move that angered the president.

“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump complained, claiming he had been told that the show was canceled. He accused Kimmel of being “another arm of the DNC” and suggested that the move could amount to an illegal campaign contribution.

“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this,” Trump added. “Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative.”