Washington: US President Donald Trump has reignited his long-standing feud with late-night television hosts by sharing a controversial, AI-generated video on his official X account. The digitally manipulated clip depicts Trump interrupting a monologue by comedian Stephen Colbert, lifting the television host, and tossing him into a garbage bin before dancing to the song “YMCA.” The post went viral within hours, drawing intense reactions from across the political and media landscape.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 22, 2026
The provocative social media post was published late Friday, just one day after The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired its final episode on CBS on May 21, 2026. Prior to sharing the video, Trump mocked the comedian on Truth Social, describing him as a “total jerk” with “no talent, no ratings, no life,” and characterizing the cancellation of the program as the beginning of the end for mainstream late-night hosts. The online attack highlights a years-long rivalry between Trump and Colbert, whose nightly monologues routinely featured sharp criticisms of the president and the Republican platform.
The final broadcast of The Late Show concluded an 11-year run for Colbert, who originally assumed the hosting mantle in 2015 following the retirement of broadcast legend David Letterman. Despite the behind-the-scenes friction, Colbert opted for a joyful farewell during the extended finale, which brought in an impressive 6.74 million viewers to become the most-watched weeknight episode of his entire tenure. The star-studded send-off featured lighthearted cameos from Jon Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bryan Cranston, and fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, culminating in a musical performance of The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye” alongside Sir Paul McCartney.
The historic late-night program was officially canceled by CBS last year, a move the network steadfastly maintained was purely an economic decision driven by the shifting, fragmented landscape of traditional broadcast television. However, the decision drew intense scrutiny and allegations of political interference from critics and Colbert himself. The cancellation came shortly after the host publicly criticized CBS’s parent company, Paramount, over a reported 16 million dollar legal settlement involving Donald Trump, fueling speculation that corporate and political pressures influenced the network’s final decision. Following his departure from the late-night circuit, Colbert is shifting his professional focus toward screenwriting, co-writing an upcoming franchise project alongside filmmaker Peter Jackson.
