Stephen Colbert Gives CBS and Trump Middle Finger With Last Show

For more than a decade, Stephen Colbert entertained Americans as CBS’s Late Show host, leading more than 1,800 episodes. On Thursday, he hosted his last one, a decision that CBS executives chalked up to financial reasons.But the longtime comedian did not go out quietly. Instead, Colbert capped his exit with an eyebrow-raising copyright joke by ramping up the tunes—licensed tunes, to be exact.The Late Show host was in the midst of running through the headlines during his “Meanwhile” segment when he mentioned that the owner of the Peanuts catalog had recently sued several entities—including the U.S. Department of the Interior—over the unlicensed use of the show’s iconic music, written by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi.Cue the music: “Linus and Lucy.”“Is the band right now playing the same Peanuts music that I just said people are being sued for for using without permission? Is that what they’re doing?” asked Colbert.“Yeah,” Louis Cato, the show’s band leader, responded with a shrug.“Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money,” Colbert deadpanned.LOL Stephen Colbert is making his band play licensed music during his final show so CBS – who fired him – will get sued and have to pay millions"Anyone illegally using that music is gonna have to pay through the nose--"[band starts playing]"Oh no! I hope this doesn't cost… pic.twitter.com/mOeZMXEZpv— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) May 22, 2026Colbert’s show—the most popular in its time slot—was cancelled in August, three days after the comedian criticized Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Donald Trump. He claimed that the company’s payout to quell the president’s groundless lawsuit targeting Kamala Harris’s 60 Minutes interview looked like a “big, fat bribe.” The copyright gag will likely do no damage, however. Networks like CBS typically use broad blanket music licenses prearranged through entities such as ASCAP and BMI, which allow them to legally broadcast any copyrighted material within the catalog. The Peanuts tune that Colbert’s band played is within that fold.Despite the bedlam consuming Trump—so much so that he has to miss his son’s wedding this weekend—he was quick to celebrate Colbert’s end, jeering on Truth Social that “Colbert is finally finished at CBS.”“Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person,” wrote the president after Colbert’s final episode ended.“You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk,” Trump added. “Thank goodness he’s finally gone!”Trump further insinuated that Colbert’s pink slip was anything but a coincidence. In another post Friday morning, Trump claimed that Colbert’s firing would be the “beginning of the end” for “untalented, nasty, highly overpaid, not funny, and very poorly rated Late Night Television Hosts.” “Others, of even less talent, to soon follow. May they all Rest in Peace!” he wrote.