PoliticsStephen Colbert Changes the Subject When Asked If He Thinks Donald Trump Got 'The Late Show' Canceled: Watch
Colbert dodged a direct Trump question.
Sept. 15 2026, Published 12:50 p.m. ET
Stephen Colbert was in no mood to talk Donald Trump at the Emmys on September 14.
When asked if he thought the president was the driving force behind getting The Late Show canceled, the comedian deftly deflected the question with an exaggerated dodge.
Stephen Colbert wouldn't take the bait at the Emmys.
Colbert Dodges the Question
Colbert took home an Emmy for 'The Late Show.'
After The Late Show with Stephen Colbert took home the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series at the 78th Emmy Awards,Variety's Ramin Setoodeh asked Colbert if he thought the series was canceled because of Trump.
Colbert instantly pivoted to a person on the other side of him, saying, "Whoa, that's a beautiful dress!" earning a laugh from the crowd.
He then joked that he was "deaf in one ear" and asked Setoodeh to repeat the question.
As Setoodeh restarted, Colbert interrupted by saying, "You wanted to know who the most important person on my staff is? It's me!"
Colbert's Cancelation Was Sudden
Colbert was critical of CBS settling with Donald Trump.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was suddenly canceled by CBS in 2025 after Colbert criticized the network's parent company, Paramount, for settling a frivolous lawsuit from Trump. The president was suing the network over what he claimed was an unfair edit of a 60 Minutes conversation with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
At the time, Paramount was working on a merger with Skydance, led by Trump ally David Ellison. Though the company likely had the legal standing to defeat Trump in court, they paid him $16 million in the settlement.
Colbert got on the air and called the settlement a "big fat bribe," and was canceled shortly after.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Trump Took Credit for Colbert's Cancelation
Trump said he 'took out' Colbert.
CBS said the firing was "purely a financial decision," but few believed that excuse. Colbert is a frequent critic of Trump, while The Late Show consistently pulled in the highest ratings across late-night talk show programming.
Furthermore, Trump frequently complained about Colbert while he was on the air. While he initially denied responsibility for CBS' decision, he ultimately took credit for getting him canceled.
"In the last two weeks I've taken out many bad Political 'Leaders' and Pundits including Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lightweight 'Congressman' Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brad Raffensperger of Georgia, REALLY DUMB Stephen Colbert of CBS, and others," Trump crowed in a June 1 Truth Social post.
CBS Is Struggling Under Its New Leadership
'60 Minutes' saw its ratings plummet under Weiss.
CBS has taken a hard rightward swing since the Paramount Skydance merger. Bari Weiss, a right-leaning writer with no broadcast television experience, was installed as the editor-in-chief of CBS News and quickly butted heads with veteran journalists at 60 Minutes over demands they instill right-wing talking points into news segments.
As a result, the once gold standard for television journalism has seen its ratings plummet.
The September 14 premiere of the show's new season, the first full season under Weiss' direction, scored its lowest ratings in 25 years.
