What Triggered Trump’s Outburst Against Stephen Colbert?

My favorite English teacher got fired. It was during the pre-Late-Show era that Colbert helped me polish my English. The Colbert Report used to be my top torrent priority for years.

You’d be surprised what people all over the world liked to watch, play, and read before streaming and light speed browsing. Where there’s a demand, there’s a supply. So many movies and TV shows, but Colbert was a “regular.” Every season and episode was systematically and regularly shared.

Of all the things Trump could’ve possibly done, after collecting the political Infinity Stones, it never crossed my mind he would dare to go after democracy’s dearest – the late-night TV. Comedians and authoritarians don’t get along. You know it even without asking AI that the comedy scene in North Korea or Russia has certain limitations of expression.

Hey, Stephen! Now, We’re Even!

I worried my claim that Trump had something to do with it would be hard to prove. He’s comedically predictable. Trump just couldn’t help himself but celebrate it publicly:

It seems that “only” Jon Stewart is safe from the “red fury.” I’m not a comedy expert. I’ve never been to a comedy club, in person. Yet, I dare to say that Stewart’s jokes about Trump are funny. But, Colbert’s jokes are funny, and edgy. There’s no contest, but Trump has a list of his “favorite” comedians. As you can see, he’s already “guessing,” who’s going to be next to be “cancelled.”

Colbert stayed true to himself in calling out the big and beautiful $16M settlement between Trump and Paramount. Actually, it isn’t so big because Trump initially sued for $10B. The art of the deal at its finest. For Paramount, this was “purely a financial decision.” For the Writers’ Guild of America, there’s something political about it worth investigating.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and that’s worth remembering. Colbert is taking a break. For how long? My guess is, until the next presidential election. It’s the “Blip,” but a shorter one. The “Decimation” in the MCU lasted for five years. Colbert could get back, theoretically and much desirably, in three years and some change. He would probably have to restart his show somewhere else. I’m not talking about some other country, but a TV station. I no longer watch TV, so I don’t even know what’s the right way to call it: TV, cable, or something else?!

It’s not only about Colbert. His show was a small company in its own right. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the 200 of his staffers. Colbert made it perfectly clear that he’s not going to be replaced. I can only imagine how the last episode in May 2026 is going to look and feel like. Because, it’s not only about Colbert.

I remember the time when this part of Europe, where I live in, was going through some changes of the democratic nature. It was wild and unforgettable. There was one particular detail that has stuck with me all these years. The censorship of TV shows that openly criticized the last dictators in Europe marked the point of no return. That was a calm before the storm when everything was about to burn. I was on the streets protesting and arguing. It’s funny how the defendors of authoritarian regims come up with conviniet arguments.

“We aren’t living in a dictatorship! You shouldn’t be protesting.”

“How can you possible say that?”

“Don’t you see? There are so many TV shows openly criticizing and even mocking our (beloved) president. How do you explain that?”

“He (president) is smart enough not to push it too far, and allow people to ventilate their anger through comedy.”

Some presidents are smarter than others. Some comedians are more inconveniant than others. The Internet is soulless.

Don’t Cry For Colbert, Argentina!

As soon as I heard the news, I knew that the “content creators” would have a field day with this one. I wasn’t wrong. There’s a German word that’s not too long. It’s schadenfreude. It “describes the feeling of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning about or witnessing another person’s misfortune, failure, pain, or humiliation.” (Source: some AI that quoted Wikipedia)

I’m not like that, but I love memes:

I’m an Asmongold’s fan, as much as he’s a Colber’s fan (in his own words). There’s a difference, though. I’m not schadenfreud-ing Asmongold when he cries his heart out on YouTube. Colbert got what he deserved, because, because…

Because of the “vax scene.” Great! We got him. Let him burn.

Trump is six months into his second presidency. Oh, the symbolism. Oh, the irony. There’s a big and beautiful article on FoxNews about his achievements during this time. As I said, I love the memes. How can you not love the good sense of humore and parody?

I spent more time writing prompts for ChatGPT to come up with an illustration for this story, as I invisioned it, than actually writing it. Yeah, Grok let me down.

Trump tweeted or Truth Socialed something about Colbert’s talent and rating.

“Trump’s overall favorability this week at 45.8% that approve and 51.1% that disapprove. These numbers are nearing his lows at the end of April, when it reached a 52.4% disapproval rating and 45.1% favorable approval rating.”

That was about ratings. The talent is in the eye of the beholder. For the record, Trump doesn’t draw pictures, he only signed them when gifted.

Time to download and save the remaining Late Show’s episodes. I have a feeling they’re going to be – unhinged.

This article was originally published by Nebojsa “Nesha” Todorovic on HackerNoon.