BREAKING: Biden, Hillary, and Obama all just lined up to thank Stephen Colbert on his final night — while Trump stewed on the sidelines, furious that his sharpest critic is leaving on his own terms.
On the day of his series finale, Joe Biden released a tribute that sounded more like a letter to a colleague than a goodbye to a comedian. He said not many people can make you think and laugh at the same time, and thanked Colbert for bringing humor, sincerity, and integrity to late night.
Biden reminded viewers he’d sat across from Colbert during some of the darkest political moments of the last ten years — from the 2016 aftermath to the 2020 transition — and that Colbert always managed to give people both a laugh and a reality check.
Hillary Clinton, who has been one of Colbert’s most frequent and candid guests, praised his thoughtfulness, compassion, and humility and wished him a next chapter as bright as the last.
Barack Obama, who made a point of returning to The Late Show again this spring, has been openly celebrating him too. The message from all three is the same: Colbert used a comedy show to help millions of people understand what was happening to their country, and to feel less alone while it happened.
Trump’s side of the story looks very different. For years he ranted about Colbert as “overrated” and “not funny,” furious that the monologues landing the hardest blows were happening on a big broadcast network in front of a mass audience.
Now, as Colbert walks away with a packed theater, a staff that clearly adores him, and tributes from presidents who actually read briefing books, Trump is stuck on the outside, raging about “woke late night” to whoever is still listening.
That’s the real meaning of this finale. A network may be done with political late night, but the people who relied on Colbert’s show — and the leaders who understood its role — aren’t going anywhere.
They’ve spent a decade learning to process authoritarian politics with both outrage and gallows humor. Trump can silence one voice on CBS. He can’t erase the millions of people that voice helped wake up.