Overview
- In early Dec. 24 Truth Social posts, President Donald Trump urged CBS to "put him to sleep" and called Stephen Colbert a "pathetic trainwreck" and "a dead man walking."
- The messages came as CBS re-aired Colbert’s Dec. 8 episode featuring jokes about Trump following the network’s broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors that he hosted.
- Trump questioned whether networks whose news and late-night shows are "almost 100% Negative" toward him should have their "very valuable Broadcast Licenses" terminated, adding, "I say, YES!"
- CBS previously said The Late Show will end in May 2026 for financial reasons, a timeline announced months after a $16 million settlement involving Paramount that drew political scrutiny.
- Colbert has responded on-air to Trump’s attacks, as broader industry attention has focused on the president’s repeated calls for firings and on FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s comments about broadcasters’ public-interest obligations.