Trump posted an AI video of himself throwing Stephen Colbert in a dumpster less than a day after the Late Show went dark

Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video on Friday showing him throwing Stephen Colbert into a dumpster. The video came just hours after the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired on CBS, making the timing hard to miss. Trump posted the clip on his social media platform, where it quickly gained attention and spread across the internet.

CBS announced the show’s cancellation, saying it was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.” But many believe the show’s end was connected to its criticism of Paramount, CBS’s parent company, over how it handled a lawsuit involving President Trump. The cancellation had already sparked widespread discussion before Trump’s video made things even more talked about.

The AI video Trump posted was not his first of this kind. Back in October, he had shared a similar AI-generated video showing him throwing “poop” at No Kings protesters in Times Square, according to Arizona Central. Friday’s video appears to follow the same format, using digitally created imagery to mock someone he sees as a critic.

Trump’s AI video mocking Colbert came as the late-night host chose to reflect on gratitude rather than respond

Colbert, meanwhile, did not engage with Trump’s video. In a statement, he said, “I tried never to take for granted filming in the Ed Sullivan Broadway theater, having that tremendous audience, or having the ability to work with the funniest people I know every day and make jokes about the things that make me most anxious.” His response focused entirely on his time at the show rather than on Trump’s actions.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ran for years as one of the most-watched late-night programs on television. The show was known for its sharp political commentary, and Colbert frequently used his platform to criticize Trump and his administration. 

The final episode aired just a day before Trump posted the mocking video, marking the end of Colbert’s long run on CBS. Trump’s use of AI to go after public figures is not new, Mark Hamill also found himself in a similar situation when the White House reacted angrily to an AI Trump grave image he posted online.

CBS’s statement about the cancellation made clear that the network did not see the show’s content or ratings as the reason for ending it. Still, the timing of the cancellation, coming amid Paramount’s legal troubles with Trump, raised questions about whether corporate pressure played a role.

Paramount has been dealing with ongoing legal challenges connected to Trump, and the overlap with the show’s cancellation did not go unnoticed by viewers and media observers. Trump’s video was shared on his social media platform and quickly spread online. It showed a digitally created version of Trump picking up Colbert and tossing him into a trash container, a clear attempt to mock the now-former late-night host. 

AI-generated content featuring political figures has been growing in popularity across social media, even AI voiceovers of US presidents playing video games became a viral trend on TikTok, showing how widely this kind of content has spread beyond political circles.

This is not the first time Trump has used AI-generated content to go after his critics. The October video targeting protesters showed a similar pattern of using digitally made clips to ridicule people he sees as political opponents or critics. The repeated use of this kind of content signals that AI-generated attack videos have become a regular part of how Trump engages with those who criticize him on public platforms.