President Trump late Friday shared an AI-generated video depicting him throwing former late-night host Stephen Colbert into a dumpster, marking the latest instance of the president using artificial intelligence to mock his critics. The video, posted to Truth Social, shows Colbert onstage for the taping of the last episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” before President Trump walks up behind him, grabs him by his shoulders, and tosses him into a dumpster. President Trump then closes the lid to the dumpster and starts dancing to the Village People’s “YMCA.”
This digital jab comes as independent journalist Don Lemon called on news reporters covering President Trump to “have some dignity and a backbone” in the face of the president’s repeated attacks, as reported by The Hill. Lemon, speaking on his podcast “The Don Lemon Show,” used Colbert as a prime example of someone “telling the truth on purpose” during his 11-year run as host of “The Late Show.” Lemon praised Colbert, saying, “And he is not done. And he is not afraid. And then wake up tomorrow and be that same thing in your own life.”
President Trump’s AI video was also shared by the official White House account on the social platform X, accompanied by the short caption, “Bye-bye.” This wasn’t President Trump’s first comment on Colbert’s departure, as he had already celebrated the end of “The Late Show,” which concluded Thursday night. He previously championed Paramount Skydance’s decision to fire the comedian, sharing a torrent of posts on Truth Social on Thursday and Friday, celebrating Colbert’s departure.
The president has regularly bashed Colbert and other late-night hosts for lampooning him throughout both of his administrations
“Colbert is finally finished at CBS,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier on Friday. “Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person. You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk. Thank goodness he’s finally gone!” He followed this up with another post, stating, “Stephen Colbert’s firing from CBS was the ‘Beginning of the End’ for untalented, nasty, highly overpaid, not funny, and very poorly rated Late Night Television Hosts. Others, of even less talent, to soon follow. May they all Rest in Peace!”
Lemon’s advice to reporters came after discussing the widespread praise for Colbert ahead of his final episode. He then shifted his focus directly to the Washington Press Corps, urging them to stand up for themselves and their colleagues. “Do not let Karoline Leavitt call on the next person when you’re not finishing your question. Stand up for your colleagues,” he stated, referring to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Stand up for yourself. Have some dignity and a backbone.”
He emphasized the need for White House reporters to “stand up for respect” and “stand up for the First Amendment” when confronted with President Trump’s insults during questioning. Lemon didn’t mince words, directly addressing specific incidents. “The next time someone calls one of your coworkers a piggy, the next time he calls them a loser, the next time he insults them, the next time he tells a Black woman that she knows dirt better than him, say something!” Lemon exclaimed.
The former CNN host was directly referencing a moment aboard Air Force One in November when President Trump told Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey, “Quiet, piggy,” after she asked him about his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lemon also highlighted President Trump’s attacks on women of color who had dared to ask him questions.
President Trump’s attacks on the press have notably escalated throughout the nearly three-month-long U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran. Last month, he criticized The New York Times and “stupid CNN” over their coverage of “Operation Epic Fury,” going so far as to say that The New York Times’ reporting was “actually seditious, in my opinion.”
Lemon’s former CNN colleague, Jake Tapper, quickly responded to President Trump’s remark. “Reporting these facts isn’t treason, and it’s deranged for any president to say such a thing and potentially dangerous for the reporters he’s accusing of treason,” Tapper asserted during a segment on “The Lead.”
In the same month President Trump insulted Lucey, the White House released a “media bias” tracker. This tracker highlighted news reporting accused of being “offenses” toward the administration, specifically following The Washington Post, MS NOW, CBS News, CNN, The New York Times, Politico, and The Wall Street Journal.
Colbert himself wrapped up his 11 years on CBS on Thursday with an episode that notably avoided political jokes, instead featuring several cameos from various actors and comedians. He joined ex-Beatle Paul McCartney in signing off with a rendition of “Hello, Goodbye.” During the show, McCartney recalled being with the other Beatles on the same stage on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964 and how bewildered they all were by the U.S. “The land of the free, the greatest democracy,” McCartney said. “That was what it was, and still is, hopefully.”
Paramount, CBS’s parent company, canceled “The Late Show” last year. The media conglomerate is owned by Larry and David Ellison, the father and son business leaders who are President Trump’s allies. While Paramount cited financial considerations in its decision to cancel Colbert’s show, critics viewed the cancellation as a capitulation to the Trump administration, which had control over the Paramount-Skydance merger. President Trump has also praised the direction that the company has taken CBS News.
Published: May 25, 2026 04:30 pm