Trump Denies Role In Colbert’s CBS Exit, Renews Attacks On Kimmel And Fallon: ‘Who Will Go First?

U.S. President Donald Trump continued his criticism of primetime talk show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, while saying that he had no role in the recent cancellation of a popular show hosted by Stephen Colbert, another anchor he dislikes.

Earlier this month, CBS announced that it will retire "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" at the end of the season in May next year, adding that it was a financial decision and unrelated to the program's rating or popularity.

"Everybody is saying that I was solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert from CBS, Late Night. That is not true!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.

"The reason he was fired was a pure lack of TALENT, and the fact that this deficiency was costing CBS $50 Million Dollars a year in losses — And it was only going to get WORSE!"

Colbert has often targeted Trump in his nightly monologue and recently criticized Paramount's settlement with the president, calling the company's payment to Trump a "big fat bribe" in one of his recent episodes.

Paramount (PARA), which owns the CBS network, agreed in June to pay the president $16 million to settle his lawsuit over the editing of an October "60 Minutes" interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

"Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel, and then, a weak, and very insecure, Jimmy Fallon. The only real question is, who will go first?" Trump said in his post.

Trump shares a similarly strained dynamic with Kimmel, host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on ABC, and Fallon of NBC's "The Tonight Show," both of whom have frequently mocked the former president on their shows.

Kimmel recently had a spat with Trump through social media comments after Trump criticized the 2024 Oscars, which Kimmel hosted, as boring. Kimmel criticised Trump's immigration raids in Los Angeles last month.

Fallon reportedly joked that it felt like "America got back with a wild ex," after Trump's electoral win late last year.

According to USA Today, Fallon's contract with NBCUniversal, which is a part of Comcast (CMCSA), will keep him at the network through 2028. Kimmel extended his contract with Walt Disney-owned (DIS) ABC in 2022 through his show's current 23rd season.

"If you get Ratings, you can say or do anything. If you don't, you always become a victim. Colbert became a victim to himself, the other two will follow," Trump said.

Meanwhile, on Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT), often seen as a barometer of Trump’s activity and related news, was ‘bearish’ as of late Tuesday. DJT shares are down 48% year-to-date.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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