Stephen Colbert's Plans To Go Nuclear: Late Night Host Invites Trump On Show To 'Ambush' Prez — Just Days After The Don Boasts About Program Being Canceled
Stephen Colbert wants a face-to-face sit down with archnemesis Donald Trump before The Late Show ends.
July 29 2025, Published 4:48 p.m. ET
Stephen Colbert doesn't plan to go quietly while ticking down the days until The Late Show comes to an end in 2026. He has a devious plan to go "nuclear" on his archnemesis, President Donald Trump, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Colbert, 61, has invited Trump, 79, to be one of his final guests, a source told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on Substack.
“This isn’t closure," one source claimed. "It’s an ambush.”
The 'Gloves Are Off'
The insider says Stephen Colbert 'still wins' whether or not Donald Trump accepts his invitation.
“Stephen’s gloves are off,” one production insider spilled. “This is the real Colbert: unfiltered, unchained, and p----- off. If Trump walks on that stage, it’ll be the most explosive hour in TV history.”
While the president reportedly hasn't responded, sources said MAGA loyalists are "panicking" over the double-edged sword that comes with the invitation.
“If Trump shows, Colbert will annihilate him,” a network source laughed. “And if he bails? Colbert still wins. It means Trump blinked.”
“He’s going out swinging,” the insider promised. “And he’s aiming straight for Trump’s comb-over.”
'I'm Not Being Replaced'
'The Late Show' was reportedly losing a whopping $40 million annually.
Colbert announced CBS pulled the plug on The Late Show on July 17, saying he was informed the night prior that his current season would be his last.
The comedian clarified not only is the show ending, but there will be no more late-night talk shows on CBS, stating: "I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away."
Network executives called the move "purely a financial decision," as The Late Show was reportedly bleeding $40 million annually.
Colbert Goes Ballistic
Stephen Colbert vowed to go scorched Earth on Donald Trump
The day after Colbert announced his show had gotten the axe, Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate.
“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings," the Commander-in-Chief wrote. For good measure, Trump joked about another late-night host who constantly moans about him. "I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”
During his first show back after announcing his cancellation, the South Carolina native went on an explosive, unhinged rant during his opening monologue.
"Over the weekend, it sunk in that they're killing off our show, but they made one mistake. They left me alive. And now for the next 10 months, gloves are off," Colbert huffed. "I can finally speak unvarnished truth power and say what I really think about Donald Trump, starting right now."
He went on to tell the president to "go f--- yourself."
Divisive Late Night Hosts
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Jay Leno said nobody 'wants to hear a lecture' when it comes to politically-charged late night hosts.
Colbert's arrival at CBS late-night in 2015 signaled a noticeable change in tone from previous talk show hosts. Rather than focus on humor that appealed to a mass audience, the former Comedy Central star dove deeply into politics and made then-presidential candidate Trump a target of frequent barbs. Colbert's rage towards the tycoon only escalated during his first presidential term, and Trump continued to remain the main topic of his monologues.
Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno, 75, blasted the likes of Colbert and Kimmel for turning their late-night talk shows away from broad comedy and into preaching and pandering to one side of the political spectrum.
“I love political humor, don’t get me wrong, but what happens is people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other. I don’t think anybody wants to hear a lecture," the former NBC star explained in a July 27 interview.
“Why shoot for half an audience? Why not try to get the whole? I like to bring people into the big picture. I don’t understand why you would alienate one particular group,” Leno continued. “Or just don’t do it at all. I’m not saying you have to throw your support or whatever, but just do what’s funny.”
“It was fun to me when I got hate letters: ‘You and your Republican friends’ [or] ‘Well, I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy’... over the same joke,” the funnyman recalled. “I go, ‘Well, that’s good.’ That’s how you get a whole audience. [Nowadays], you have to be content with half the audience because you have to give your opinion.”
