Barack Obama paid tribute to Stephen Colbert, while slipping in a subtle swipe at the current president.
The former president praised his friend and late-night talk show host in an Instagram post marking Colbert’s final appearance on The Late Show, thanking him for “making us laugh” and, “even more importantly,” for reminding Americans what the country stands for.
“For more than a decade, Stephen @Colbert has been one of the top voices of late night,” Obama, 64, wrote on Instagram, adding with a touch of humor that “Michelle and I enjoyed being Stephen’s guests—even when the games were rigged—and we’re grateful to call him a friend.”
Obama appeared on The Late Show on May 5 in the run-up to its final episode, where the former president made what appeared to be another dig at President Donald Trump, 79, without naming him, suggesting that Colbert would perform better as a potential president than “some folks that we’ve seen.”
The Thursday post came as Colbert, 62, signed off for good after an 11-season run, ending the CBS program following a messy cancellation that sparked media and public backlash.
CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show in July last year, just three days after Colbert publicly criticized the network’s MAGA-friendly parent company, Paramount, over its $16 million settlement with Trump, calling it a “big, fat bribe.”
Though CBS described the cancellation as a “purely financial decision,” and Trump has distanced himself from the decision to ax Colbert, celebrities, political figures, and fans of the show came together ahead of its finale to rebuke both the network and the Trump administration.
“On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert has used humor to bring us joy and hold power accountable," said Community star Yvette Nicole Brown, in a video shared to Instagram by the Committee for the First Amendment.
“It’s heartbreaking to see how one man can silence a whole nation,” audience member Joshua McGehee told CNN.
Meanwhile, Trump posted a bitter 2 a.m. message to Colbert on Truth Social, writing: “No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person.”
Colbert himself ended his final episode on a note of “joy” and a final dig at CBS.
“We call [our show] ‘The Joy Machine’ because to do this many shows, it has to be a machine. But the thing is, if you choose to do it with joy, it doesn’t hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears,” Colbert said.
In comments to People this week about speculation over the political backdrop to his show’s cancellation, Colbert said he had “no fear” of the Trump administration.
“I mean, how silly would it be? The ending of the show aside, which people can speculate about all they want, and I can’t argue with their speculations, but we’re clowns. How much does it diminish the office of the presidency to even notice what we say?” the now former Late Show host asked.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
