Stephen Colbert repeatedly sought validation from former President Barack Obama during a noticeably complimentary interview on Tuesday's Late Show.
Colbert Asks About Presidential Run
Colbert asked at one point whether Obama believed the soon-to-be-canceled host 'should run for president' — paving the way for some praise blended with a barb at Donald Trump.
'Well, you know, the bar has changed,' Obama, 64, said with a laugh.
Colbert, 61, agreed. 'At times, subterranean!' he said.
'Let me put it this way: I think that you could perform significantly better than some folks that we've seen,' Obama said. He added, to a wave of applause, 'I have great confidence in that.'
'Is that an endorsement?' Colbert asked — to which Obama clarified it 'was not.'
Show Cancellation and Final Episode
Colbert's show was canceled last summer for what was framed as a 'financial decision.' The last episode of the Late Show airs on May 21. The sit-down itself was widely seen as a dig against Donald Trump, and the nature of the conversation was lighthearted and complimentary.
Obama's spot was announced last month. The appearance included a wastepaper-basket shooting competition between the two men and a faux State of the Union address from Colbert at a replica Oval Office at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
'They even have an exact replica of Barack Obama, though. I got to say, this one is much older than the real one,' the host said as the actual politician stood at his side.
Long-Standing Relationship
The pair's relationship goes back to Colbert's days at Comedy Central, where the comic played a hammed-up, satirical conservative on The Colbert Report. He welcomed the then-president there three times. Obama appeared on The Late Show twice during Trump's first term, in 2016 and 2020. Tuesday's interview, his sixth with Colbert, is set to be his last.
A snippet posted to YouTube by CBS that contained their roundabout exchange about Trump was partially titled, 'What Powers Should The President Not Have?'
Trump Reaction and Financial Woes
Trump, 79, celebrated news of Colbert's cancellation last July, exclaiming 'I absolutely love that Colbert got fired' in a post to Truth Social. The proclamation was one of many attacks from the administration after years of mockery from Colbert.
An op-ed from Variety recently cast Colbert's recent catalogue of interviews as 'an ego trip' rather than a tasteful farewell. Colbert has hosted The Late Show since 2015, succeeding late-night legend David Letterman.
CBS said over the summer that the show would be canceled this spring due to a 'challenging backdrop in late night.' A subsequent report from Puck suggested the show was losing money, with sources saying it was shedding $40 million a year.
Colbert's Criticism of Paramount
Colbert openly criticized Paramount, CBS's parent company, days before the announcement. He took issue with the company reaching a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump surrounding an October 2024 60 Minutes interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris that the lawsuit claimed was 'deceptively edited.' Colbert called the move 'a big fat bribe.'
A long-in-limbo merger between Paramount and Skydance was approved by the FCC just days later, fueling Colbert's recent attacks on both Trump and CBS's C-suite.
In March, Colbert took a shot at Paramount over purported censorship while being honored with an award named for a Hollywood producer famed for pushing back on censorship during clampdowns in the McCarthy Era.
'As we know, the revolution will not be televised. It was going to be televised, but then Paramount bought it,' the host said while accepting the Walter Bernstein award, quoting a famed 1970 poem that warned against the effects of propaganda.
'Evidently, the revolution was losing, like, $40 million a year — it had to go,' he said, using sarcasm to cast doubt on a figure used in the Puck piece.
Replacement and Future Projects
CBS revealed last month that the show will be replaced by Comics Unleashed, a long-syndicated comedy panel show hosted by billionaire comic Byron Allen. Colbert announced in March that he has been tapped to write a new Lord of the Rings script produced by Peter Jackson.
