“Late Show” host Stephen Colbert responded to Donald Trump’s repeated social media attacks Tuesday by taking a page from the president’s book and knocking his TV ratings.
Colbert, who Trump described as having “no talent” and “nonexistent ratings” in a wee-hours meltdown on Christmas Eve, noted that the CBS broadcast of the Trump-hosted “Kennedy Center Honors” averaged an all-time low audience of 3.01 million viewers last month.
“Nobody saw that coming,” Colbert said about the viewership of the CBS broadcast. “I’m sorry, I read that wrong. Nobody saw that.”
“Now it is beneath me to gloat, but if it weren’t beneath me, I’d call him, ‘No talent, low-rated Donald Trump,’” Colbert added.
His joke was met with thunderous applause, cheers and “Stephen” chants from the crowd at the “Late Show,” which is set to end in May following CBS’ shock decision to cancel the frequent Trump critic’s program. The cancellation was widely seen as the network caving to political pressure, as parent company Paramount sought to complete a merger with Skydance Media, which required approval from the Trump administration. CBS has insisted that its move to end the “Late Show” was “purely a financial decision.”
