One Late Show with Stephen Colbert fan’s parting words for those who played a role in the CBS program’s cancellation proved to be short-lived.
On the day of The Late Show‘s extended 79-minute series finale, a message in chalk was left on the pavement outside the show’s front entrance at The Ed Sullivan Theater.
“THANK YOU STEPHEN 💗” it read in yellow, followed in white by “AND F*CK YOU CBS AND DONALD TRUMP.”
After the message was discovered Thursday, a member of the theater’s janitorial staff arrived with mop and bucket to wash away the expletive aimed at both CBS and the President of the United States.
Watch video below.
CBS sent shockwaves through the late-night landscape last July when it announced that The Late Show would end after its eleventh season, in what the network insists was a “financial decision.”
The optics suggested otherwise. The Late Show‘s cancellation came on the heels of Colbert saying on-air that CBS parent Paramount’s $16 million lawsuit settlement with Donald Trump (related to 60 Minutes‘ edit of a Kamala Harris interview) was “a big, fat bribe.” At the time of the settlement, Paramount was awaiting the government’s okay on a merger with Skydance, which went through weeks later.
Trump was quick to celebrate the cancellation, posting on Truth Social, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.” Days later, Trump said that he hoped he played a role in the talker’s end. “The word is… Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes, and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone,” he posted. “It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!”
When asked this Wednesday what message he had for Colbert ahead of Thursday night’s Late Show finale, Trump was silent. “I’ll have a message at a later date,” he told reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews.
AMAZING VIDEO outside Stephen Colbert theater. A chalk message on Broadway in front of the theater, praising Colbert and criticizing President Trump and CBS is washed away. #StephenColbert pic.twitter.com/GPW5eDqSAZ
— Steve Futterman (@sfutterman) May 21, 2026
