Overview
- In a series of Truth Social posts, President Donald Trump called Stephen Colbert “a dead man walking” and urged CBS to “put him to sleep.”
- Trump also wrote that networks with newscasts and late‑night shows that are “almost 100% Negative” toward him should have their broadcast licenses “terminated.”
- The posts followed CBS’s rebroadcast of Colbert’s Dec. 8 monologue, which joked about Trump’s role at the Kennedy Center Honors that aired earlier in the night.
- CBS previously announced it will end The Late Show franchise in May 2026, describing the decision as financial, and no regulatory action has been taken on licenses.
- The remarks renewed scrutiny of FCC authority after earlier comments by Chair Brendan Carr about broadcasters’ public‑interest obligations and drew immediate social media criticism.