{"id":2605598,"date":"2026-05-21T16:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stephen-colbert-wasnt-funny-even-worse-he-wasnt-interesting\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T16:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:06:26","slug":"stephen-colbert-wasnt-funny-even-worse-he-wasnt-interesting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stephen-colbert-wasnt-funny-even-worse-he-wasnt-interesting\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Colbert Wasn&#8217;t Funny. Even Worse, He Wasn&#8217;t Interesting"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstephen-colbert-wasnt-funny-even-worse-he-wasnt-interesting%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2605598&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Teh article argues that Stephen Colbert\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >real-life late-night persona<\/a> on CBS\u2019s *The Late Show* is neither funny nor engaging anymore,and that\u2019s why the show was canceled. It dismisses the media\u2019s explanation that CBS ended the program in deference to President Trump, claiming Colbert has been largely apolitical and had little <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nfl-closes-season-with-inspire-change-ad-football-is-over-but-systemic-racism-goes-on\/\" title=\"NFL Closes Season With \u2018Inspire Change\u2019 Ad: Football Is Over But \u2018Systemic Racism\u2019 Goes On\">real impact<\/a> on politics. The author points to Colbert\u2019s attempts at controversy as forced and ineffective, than cites examples of awkward or forgettable material (including a 2021 audience segment involving costume \u201csyringes\u201d). <\/p>\n<p>The piece further claims CBS\u2019s decision was primarily business-driven, noting reported financial losses attributed to the show (even if Colbert could have been justified by political influence). It contrasts Colbert\u2019s perceived decline with other comedians-especially bill Maher, whom the author calls truly funny and interesting-and ends by suggesting Colbert is not worth the cost or attention.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DLsFSFmPt90\" target=\"_blank\">the late show with stephen colbert\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/21\/stephen-colbert-wasnt-funny-even-worse-he-wasnt-interesting\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Stephen Colbert Wasn\u2019t Funny. Even Worse, He Wasn\u2019t Interesting&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/21\/stephen-colbert-wasnt-funny-even-worse-he-wasnt-interesting\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Stephen Colbert Wasn\u2019t Funny. Even Worse, He Wasn\u2019t Interesting&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/21\/stephen-colbert-wasnt-funny-even-worse-he-wasnt-interesting\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/21\/stephen-colbert-wasnt-funny-even-worse-he-wasnt-interesting\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Stephen Colbert Wasn\u2019t Funny. Even Worse, He Wasn\u2019t Interesting&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/21\/stephen-colbert-wasnt-funny-even-worse-he-wasnt-interesting\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Stephen Colbert\u2019s character on Comedy Central\u2019s <em>The Colbert Report<\/em> was funny and interesting. The real-life Stephen Colbert, or whatever iteration of Colbert it is on CBS\u2019s <em>The Late Show<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/18\/10-cringiest-moments-of-stephen-colberts-career-as-an-unfunny-democrat-mouthpiece\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">is neither<\/a>. And more than anything, that\u2019s why his show is now canceled.<\/p>\n<p>The very corny narrative that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/somebody-tell-susan-glasser-to-sit-back-and-relax-this-time\/\" title=\"Somebody Tell Susan Glasser To Sit Back And Relax This Time\">dying news media<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/16\/opinion\/stephen-colbert-late-show-cbs.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">like to tell<\/a> is that CBS\u2019s parent company canned Colbert, whose last show airs Thursday night, in deference to President Trump and as a way to secure a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-ranchers-offered-aid-as-biden-reserves-largest-protections-for-corporate-meatpackers\/\" title=\"U.S. Ranchers Offered Aid as Biden Reserves Largest Protections for Corporate Meatpackers\">business merger<\/a> that the network\u2019s parent company needed approval from the administration for. CNN actress Jake Tapper literally hosted an <a href=\"https:\/\/cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com\/2026\/05\/12\/cnn-flashdoc-the-last-laugh-stephen-colbert-to-stream-on-friday-may-15-on-the-cnn-app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">entire documentary<\/a> pushing that line. (How humiliating that Colbert\u2019s tenure as the star of what used to be a revered institution is so unremarkable that the best it earned him was an online CNN special featuring \u2026 Jake Tapper.)<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-75477580\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It wouldn\u2019t surprise anyone if Trump had something to do with Colbert being kicked to the curb by the network\u2019s executives, but if he did, it was for the sole purpose of humoring himself. As host of <em>The Late Show<\/em>, Colbert was never a political factor, even as he tried his damndest. Though Colbert routinely, predictably mocked the president and used his show to push political causes \u2014 he recently <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/18\/stephen-colberts-nightly-democrat-extravaganza-collides-with-fccs-equal-time-rule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">manufactured a controversy<\/a> to hype up the abnormal and highly unnerving Democrat Senate candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/23\/democrat-white-men-keep-impersonating-obama-and-its-so-uncomfortable-to-watch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">James Talarico<\/a> \u2014\u00a0but I\u2019d dare anyone to recall anything that had an effect. Or even just to recall anything at all.<\/p>\n<p>Off the top of my head, Colbert\u2019s most memorable current events-related segment was a line dance he did <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DawnsMission\/status\/2019028448774435173\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in 2021<\/a> with people wearing costumes meant to look like syringes. To the tune of The Champs\u2019 \u201cTequila,\u201d Colbert shouted \u201cvaccine!\u201d as he did an Austin Powers-esque dance through the audience. The second-hand embarrassment felt by viewers can\u2019t be overstated.<\/p>\n<p>Colbert was simply not worth saving because he wasn\u2019t worth what he was costing his employer, which was apparently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/colberts-late-show-reportedly-losing-cbs-40m-year-critics-speculate-politics-drove-cancellation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a loss of $40 million per year<\/a>. Trust me, if the show had been losing that much but Colbert was influencing politics, CBS would have eaten the cost. That\u2019s a business calculus made in the media all the time. It\u2019s why News Corp keeps publishing the New York Post despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hollywood-publication-variety-trashes-stephen-colberts-never-ending-anti-trump-farewell-tour-not-very-good-tv\/\" title=\"Hollywood Publication Variety Trashes Stephen Colbert&#039;s Never-Ending, Anti-... Farewell Tour: &#039;Not Very Good TV&#039;\">annual losses estimated<\/a> to be as high <a href=\"https:\/\/www.columbia.edu\/cu\/cuma\/files\/nypost_packet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">as $30 million<\/a>. It\u2019s why Brian Stelter, dishonest and homely as ever, remains employed at CNN. It\u2019s why Rachel Maddow can rate <a href=\"https:\/\/ustvdb.com\/ratings\/shows\/#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">below<\/a> the Hallmark channel and reruns of <em>The Twilight Zone<\/em>, but MS NOW keeps her on air and pays millions to do it.<\/p>\n<p>Colbert is a non-factor, not funny, and most important, not interesting. His competitor at ABC, Jimmy Kimmel, isn\u2019t particularly funny or interesting either, but at least he cries on occasion or makes a remark <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/22\/sinclair-holds-firm-on-refusal-to-air-jimmy-kimmel-until-he-apologizes-to-charlie-kirks-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">so distasteful<\/a> that it gets him thrown off the air for a period of time. There\u2019s at least some sense of dynamics there. Colbert is just an aging has-been performing skits more suitable for a suburban nursing home.<\/p>\n<p>Bill Maher is a left-wing comedian who is both funny and interesting. Trump attacks him all the time, and HBO has shown no interest in taking Maher off the air. It\u2019s because he\u2019s worth it. Colbert isn\u2019t worth it.<\/p>\n<p>Jake Tapper will miss him. There\u2019s always that.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Eddie Scarry is the D.C. columnist at The Federalist and author of &#8220;<a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0FR8XCMYC\">Traitors: The Democrat Party\u2019s Collapse into Anti-American Filth<\/a>.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Eddie Scarry<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eScarry\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@eScarry<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/eddiescarry\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/bill-maher\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Bill Maher<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/brian-stelter\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Brian Stelter<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cbs\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CBS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jake-tapper\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jake Tapper<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jimmy-kimmel\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jimmy Kimmel<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/media\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Media<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rachel-maddow\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Rachel Maddow<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/stephen-colbert\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Stephen Colbert<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/the-late-show\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">The Late Show<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stephen Colbert\u2019s character was funny, but the real host wasn\u2019t worth the cost, so CBS canceled his show<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":493,"featured_media":2605599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stephen-Colbert.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7958,32870,38026],"class_list":["post-2605598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-comedy","tag-satire","tag-stephen-colbert"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stephen-Colbert.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/493"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605598"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2605602,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605598\/revisions\/2605602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2605599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2605598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}