If CBS or any of us thought Stephen Colbert would fade into late-night obscurity with a polite thank-you and a curtain call, they clearly haven’t been paying attention. ‘The Late Show’ host, whose Emmy-winning tenure was as much political commentary as it was comedy, chose to exit not with a whimper, but with a full-throated, expletive-laced mic drop.

Colbert on Monday night returned to the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater, just days after CBS and Paramount announced the abrupt cancellation of The Late Show. With his signature cocktail of satire and sass, Colbert opened the show by roasting Donald Trump, who had gleefully posted on Truth Social, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.”

Colbert’s response? Unapologetically blunt. Reading Trump’s post aloud, he smirked, “How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?” Then, in what he called the “Eloquence Cam”, Colbert turned to the lens and said, “Go f*** yourself.” (The F-bomb was censored, but the roaring audience didn’t need subtitles)

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‘Coldplaygate’ ft. Donald Trump and Paramount

But he wasn’t alone in his final act. The host rallied his late-night comrades—Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers and John Oliver—for a segment. In a hilarious parody of Coldplay’s viral kiss cam moment, American songwriter and actor-singer Lin-Manuel Miranda and musician-comedian “Weird Al” Yankovic performed Viva La Vida while the camera panned across a celebrity-studded audience. The punchline? A cartoon Trump lovingly embracing the Paramount logo, only to let it go awkwardly—echoing ColdplayGate’s now-infamous timing miscue.

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Colbert then declared the song “cancelled,” tossing to one last scorcher: another bleep-worthy sendoff directed at the President.

Fans stand up for Colbert

Outside the theater, fans held up signs that read “Colbert Stays! Trump Must Go!”—a fitting echo for a man who spent nearly a decade speaking truth to power and getting the last laugh doing it.

Stephen Colbert may be off the air soon, but make no mistake: he’s not off-message.