Donald Trump prematurely celebrated Stephen Colbert’s departure from CBS, posting an AI-generated video depicting Colbert being thrown into a dumpster to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” on the official White House account. The president declared on Truth Social that Colbert had no talent and no ratings, calling it a relief that he was gone.
However, less than 24 hours after ending his 11-year tenure as host of The Late Show, Colbert returned for a guest spot on Only in Monroe, the community access show he hosted prior to taking over The Late Show from David Letterman in 2015. “It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV,” Colbert joked during the broadcast.
The episode quickly went viral, featuring chaotic and hilarious moments alongside appearances from Jack White, Jeff Daniels, Steve Buscemi, Byron Allen, and Eminem as “Marshall, the Fire Marshal.” One bootleg upload by journalist Matthew Keys racked up over 600,000 views in hours. Paramount subsequently issued copyright takedown notices, attempting to block reuploads worldwide, affecting journalists and everyday viewers alike.
CBS claimed the episode was financed and secretly produced by them in collaboration with Monroe Community Media, but the broadcast gave no indication of corporate backing. Colbert openly mocked CBS and Paramount during the show, leaving viewers skeptical of the network’s claims. Facing backlash, CBS eventually announced it would “waive further enforcement” pending review.
The controversy underscored the vulnerabilities of American entertainment to political and corporate pressures, highlighting the Streisand effect: the harder CBS tried to suppress Colbert’s viral appearance, the larger its online reach became. The final episode of The Late Show drew 6.74 million viewers, and the Monroe episode amplified Colbert’s influence further, proving that circumventing corporate barriers can generate unprecedented viral momentum.
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