Bruce Springsteen hails Stephen Colbert, says host was canceled because 'Trump can't take a joke'

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen fired shots at President Donald Trump and the Paramount owners on his appearance on the penultimate episode of Stephen Colbert’s "The Late Show". Springsteen came out to support the host, who's been a vocal critic of Trump for over a decade, leading up to his cancellation by CBS. Mourning the loss of the late-night show, Springsteen claimed that Colbert was the first to lose his show because the president "can't take a joke."

Last summer, CBS announced it was sunsetting 'The Late Show', which shook the late-night television scene. At the time, the network said it was a "financial decision," but the move came shortly after Colbert criticized the $16 million lawsuit settlement between Trump and Paramount. On the second-to-last episode, Springsteen made an appearance to honor the host. "I am here tonight to support Stephen, because you're the first guy in America who lost his show because we've got a president who can't take a joke," the 'Dancing in the Dark' artist said. "And because Larry and David Ellison feel the need to kiss his ass to get what they want," referring to the billionaire father-son duo, who now own and control Paramount Global and therefore CBS. 

"The Boss" went on to advocate for free speech before he jumped into the performance of his song 'Streets of Minneapolis', which details the Minnesota city's ongoing protest against ICE. "Stephen, these are small-minded people who have no idea what the freedoms of this beautiful country are supposed to be about. This is for you," he said. Colbert's show ended on Thursday with an episode that featured a list of celebrities, including Bryan Cranston, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, and his final guest, Paul McCartney. 

The cancellation of 'The Late Show' has been heavily criticized as the move came amid a seeming feud between Colbert and Trump. Last year, the host criticized the network's parent company, Paramount, for a $16 million settlement with the president, who alleged that CBS News' 60 Minutes deceptively edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, according to PEOPLE. At the time, Paramount was going through a merger with the entertainment company Skydance through a deal that needed approval from the Trump administration.

Furthermore, the Ellisons are also allies of Trump, who have made sweeping changes to the news division at CBS, and pledged to change the network's editorial strategy to cater to a more politically "diverse" audience.  However, in the announcement, CBS stated that the ending of Colbert's show was "purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night," and that it was not "related in any way to the show's performance, content, or other matters happening at Paramount." 

Following the announcement, Trump celebrated the news in a Truth Social post saying that he "absolutely loved" that Colbert got fired because his talent "was even less than his ratings." The President took shots at another late-night adversary as he claimed Jimmy Kimmel was next. Colbert previously revealed that he wasn't being replaced, but the show was going away in its entirety, according to PEOPLE. However, his slot will not belong to Byron Allen's comedy talk show, "Comics Unleashed," which he said would not involve politics in an interview with CBS Mornings.