CNN’s Jake Tapper mourned the end of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show with the activist anchor spinning the unfunny comic’s departure as a nefarious conspiracy orchestrated by President Donald J. Trump.
The caustic Colbert’s grand finale will be broadcast on May 21, with CBS ringing down the curtain on the money-losing program, which, like other late-night shows, has completely abandoned the idea of appealing to the nation as a whole, instead brazenly spewing leftist propaganda and providing a regular forum for elected Democrats while excluding Republicans.
During Thursday’s edition of “The Lead” on CNN, the Trump-obsessed Tapper reeled off a six-minute tribute to his media comrade, slobbering all over Colbert in a pitiful stew of pandering and crackpot conspiracy theories.
‘That meddlesome comedian has been rid. Who’s next? And how long will corporate America’s chieftains sully their reputations to please one leader?’ @jaketapper reports on the timeline of Stephen Colbert’s last show and President Trump’s criticism of the host. pic.twitter.com/8A8nJdsKD5
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) May 14, 2026
At one point in Tapper’s ridiculous diatribe, he turned to a clip of disgraced ex-FBI Director James Comey – a cable “news” favorite – and an analogy about Archbishop Thomas Becket.
“Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Comey referring there to the folklore about King Henry II. In the 12th century, King Henry voiced frustration with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, who had excommunicated bishops who defied church law, as depicted in the 1964 film, Becket,” Tapper whined, going to a clip from the movie.
“Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest? And shortly thereafter, assassins came and killed the archbishop. The phrase has come to represent what happens when leaders want immoral actions carried out on their behalf, but they also want plausible deniability,” he said, insinuating that Trump gave the order for the hit.
“Now, there’s no evidence that President Trump, who has long railed against Stephen Colbert and other late night comedians who mock him, no evidence that he demanded that Colbert be fired or his show canceled. The final episode of the Colbert show airs in one week, next Thursday, May 21,” he continued, laying out a scenario in which Colbert was offered up to Trump as a blood sacrifice by Paramount and Shari Redstone to get approval for last summer’s merger with Skydance.
“Now, you can make of the timing what you will, but it is inescapable that the decision by CBS Paramount to cancel Colbert pleased Trump. And the folks who owned CBS Paramount at the time got what they wanted, and they were handsomely compensated for it,” Tapper capped it off. “Now, Trump never posted on Truth Social, ‘Will no one rid me of this meddlesome comedian? But anyone trying to curry favor with Trump surely knew where key pressure points were.”
Fox News contributor Joe Concha provided some valuable context that Tapper neglected to share with his viewers.
Nowhere in the rant does Jake mention the fact that Colbert was losing $40 million per year for CBS. But Jake is an expert on bad ratings…
The Lead on CNN averages viewership in the 600-650k range, for a distant 3rd.
Context: Will Cain on Fox in the same timeslot averages… https://t.co/cPI2IGM2RV— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) May 15, 2026
NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck perfectly summed up Tapper’s ode to Colbert in three short words.
What an asskisser
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) May 15, 2026
“Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success. Now, after being terminated by CBS, but left out to dry, he has actually gotten worse, along with his nonexistent ratings. Stephen is running on hatred and fumes ~ A dead man walking! CBS should, “put him to sleep,” NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!” Trump wrote in a Christmas Eve post to Truth Social.
In just a few short days, the “dead man walking” will stroll through the door of the Ed Sullivan Theater for the final time. Unfortunately for America, Tapper will remain firmly ensconced at CNN.
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