In one of his final broadcasts before cancellation, late-night host Stephen Colbert delivered a pointed critique of President Donald Trump's diminishing television appeal during Thursday night's episode. The comedian focused specifically on the recently released preliminary ratings for Trump's State of the Union address, which showed a significant year-over-year decline in viewership.
Trump's Declining Television Audience
According to Nielsen's preliminary figures, approximately 32.6 million viewers tuned in to watch President Trump's remarks before Congress on Tuesday night. Colbert immediately highlighted how this number represented a noticeable decrease from the 36.6 million who watched Trump's address to Congress just one year earlier. The contrast becomes even more striking when compared to 2019, when the conservative leader drew an impressive 46 million viewers for his congressional address.
'Trump's talk-a-thon saw an 11 percent decrease from last year,' Colbert joked during his monologue. 'Donald Trump is really dragging down broadcast television.'
Colbert's Impending Cancellation
The host then turned his attention to his own professional situation, referencing reports that his Late Show is losing approximately $40 million annually and faces cancellation in May. 'I mean, if I were CBS, I'd cancel him,' Colbert quipped, referring to himself with characteristic self-deprecating humor.
Despite his show's financial troubles and impending demise, Colbert couldn't resist highlighting a positive contrast in the ratings department. 'But you know, linear television is doomed, and everyone's ratings are going down, right? I'm sorry. What's that? Our ratings were up 7 percent?' he smirked to his Manhattan audience.
The host elaborated on this apparent contradiction: 'I'm up 7 percent. Wow. Holy cow. You know what? You know what I think is going on? People may not like watching Trump, but they do like watching me, not like watching Trump.' The studio audience responded enthusiastically with cheers and chants of 'Stephen' as the host continued his monologue.
Comparing Presidential Speeches to Entertainment
Colbert further contextualized the presidential viewership numbers by comparing them to popular entertainment events. 'Preliminary viewership for Trump's speech is coming in around 32.6 million. Compare that to the Super Bowl, which got over four times as much,' he noted.
The host then offered a humorous suggestion for how Trump might have improved his ratings: 'I think Trump could have saved the whole thing with a blockbuster halftime show featuring "Bad Bernie."' This joke was accompanied by a visual gag showing Senator Bernie Sanders edited to resemble this year's Super Bowl halftime headliner, Bad Bunny, complete with backup dancers. Colbert's reference to the Puerto Rican singer's performance, which drew conservative criticism for its Spanish-language lyrics, added another layer of political commentary to his routine.
Audience Reactions and Polling Data
A Wednesday poll from CNN provided additional context for the State of the Union viewership, finding that approximately 38 percent of Trump's viewers responded positively to the president's remarks, while 36 percent rated them negatively. This relatively balanced reception contrasted with the clear decline in overall audience size.
For Colbert's own program, Nielsen data showed that The Late Show actually grew its total audience from 1.84 million viewers for last year's live show following the president's joint address to Congress to 1.96 million total viewers this year. This 7 percent increase occurred despite the show's well-publicized financial struggles and impending cancellation.
The Financial Reality Behind the Cancellation
Showrunners have attributed the decision to cancel Colbert's program primarily to declining advertising revenue, which has reportedly created annual losses of approximately $40 million. The host's Thursday night remarks served as a continuation of his longstanding criticism of the Trump administration, a pattern that has persisted since the president took office for his second term.
The attacks intensified last year after Paramount, CBS's parent company, reached a $16 million settlement with the president—a move Colbert described on-air as 'a big fat bribe.' This settlement occurred during Paramount's merger negotiations with Skydance, a multibillion-dollar deal that required federal approval.
Just days after Colbert's on-air criticism of the settlement, he received news that his show would be cancelled. The federal approval for the Paramount-Skydance merger followed shortly thereafter, further fueling Colbert's critical commentary about the relationship between media corporations and political power.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will air its final episode in May, concluding a significant chapter in late-night television. The 61-year-old host has yet to announce any future professional plans following the show's conclusion.
