Stephen Colbert was ‘predictable and losing boatloads of money’: Joe Concha
Joe Concha,a columnist for the *Washington Examiner*,criticized Stephen colbert and *the Late Show* after its Thursday finale. He said the show’s content had become predictable and that it was losing money, arguing there was no support for claims that Donald Trump ordered Colbert off the air.
Concha pointed to Colbert’s declining performance and the show’s staffing levels-questioning why a desk talk program would require more than 200 staffers and noting credits that list 22 writers for monologues. He also argued the show’s guests and themes were consistently anti-Trump, citing Liz Cheney as the only Republican he claimed had appeared in six years, while citing Bernie Sanders’s frequent appearances.
He added that President Trump reacted to the cancellation on Truth Social with harsh comments about Colbert. CBS reportedly ended the show in July 2025, describing it as a “financial decision.” Colbert’s final episode included guest Paul McCartney, and Colbert said the show had been “a joy” for viewers.
Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha criticized The Late Show host Stephen Colbert for being “predictable and losing boatloads of money” as the show aired its finale Thursday.
“There’s this utterly ridiculous narrative being pushed by many legacy media, Democrats themselves, that Donald Trump ordered Stephen Colbert to be taken off the air,” Concha said Friday on Fox & Friends First.
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President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about the end of The Late Show.
“Colbert is finally finished at CBS,” Trump said. “Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person. You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk. Thank goodness he’s finally gone!”
CBS announced the cancellation of the show in July 2025, citing it as a “financial decision.”
In Colbert’s opening remarks Thursday, he addressed both his in-person audience and viewers at home, saying the show “has been a joy for us to do for you.” The final episode featured guest Paul McCartney.
Concha argued that the show’s numbers demonstrated Colbert’s decline.
“Can anyone explain why a program that consists almost entirely of two people talking across a desk needs more than 200 staffers? ‘Cause I can’t get there,” Concha said.
Concha said the show employs 22 writers to write Colbert’s monologues, according to the show credits.
“The days change, but they really don’t, because the screens are almost always against Trump or conservatives,” Concha said, adding that it is “right out of Groundhog Day.”
He highlighted that the “anti-Trump Liz Cheney” was the only Republican to have been on the show in the past six years. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), he said, has been on the show 15 times.
STEPHEN COLBERT SIGNS OFF ONE LAST TIME: ‘HELLO, GOODBYE’
“Because when you think [of] entertainment, the first person that comes to mind is a hypocritical democratic socialist,” Concha said.
“He was predictable and losing boatloads of money for the company. You can’t do that and expect to keep your job.”
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