President Trump again took aim at the 11:35 p.m. late-night lineup Wednesday night, using a Q&A with the White House press corps to mock Stephen Colbert’s cancellation—and to signal that he doesn’t expect Jimmy Kimmel or Jimmy Fallon to stick around much longer.
Trump’s comments came in response to a question from Brian Glenn of the right-wing news outlet Real America’s Voice. Referencing The Late Show’s cancellation and rumors that Howard Stern is leaving SiriusXM, Glenn asked the president whether “the ‘hate Trump’ business model” in entertainment was collapsing.
“Well, it hasn’t worked,” Trump replied. “And it hasn’t worked, really, for a long time, and I would say pretty much from the beginning. Colbert has no talent. I mean, I could take anybody here. I could go outside in the beautiful streets and pick a couple of people that do just as well or better. They’d get higher ratings than he did. He’s got no talent.”
Trump didn’t stop there. “Fallon has no talent. Kimmel has no talent,” he added. “They’re next. They’re gonna be going. I hear they’re gonna be going. I don’t know, but I would imagine because they’d get—you know, Colbert has better ratings than Kimmel or Fallon.”
It’s not Trump’s first swipe since CBS announced Colbert’s cancellation. As LateNighter has previously reported, he celebrated the news online last month, writing on Truth Social: “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired… I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.” Trump also praised Fox News’ Gutfeld! as “better than all of them combined.”
The timing of The Late Show‘s cancellation has drawn scrutiny from critics, coming after CBS’s parent company, Paramount, settled a $16 million lawsuit over 60 Minutes with Trump, and shortly before the FCC approved its merger with Skydance. Trump has denied playing a direct role in Colbert’s cancellation, but continues to pressure rival networks—posting recently that ABC and NBC should have their licenses revoked.
CBS has insisted Colbert’s cancellation was a financial decision, and not the result of any political influence. Colbert remains on the air through May 2026.
He’s not wrong, but it has nothing to do with him.