Stephen Colbert has insisted he is more conservative than the American people may think – and is not actually a ‘lefty figure.’
The 61-year-old host of Late Night with Stephen Colbert spoke with GQ’s Zach Baron in a recent interview and claimed his show appeals to both conservatives and liberals.
‘The demographics of these shows are interesting,’ he said. ‘It’s about a third, a third, a third – it’s about a third Republican, a third Democrats, a third independents.’
‘You’d think, you know, all people perceive me as this sort of lefty figure,’ Colbert continued.
‘I think I’m more conservative than people think. I just happen to be talking about a government in extremis.’
Colbert went on to say that his frequent on-air criticisms of President Donald Trump – which he described as ‘like The Scream but with jokes’ – are his genuine reaction to the news of the day.
‘I don’t generally say or do things that I don’t mean on the show unless I’m in character, like a sketch,’ he said.
The late night host then explained that people may see him ‘as more left necessarily than I am because I’m not sure of what other reaction would be an honest one.
‘It’s hard to have a balanced reaction to the idea of troops on the streets of a city that actually is not undergoing an invasion,’ he said. ‘Is any other reaction honest?’
Stephen Colbert has insisted he is more conservative than the American people may think – and is not actually a ‘lefty figure’
He said he is presenting his genuine reaction to President Donald Trump’s actions, arguing he is ‘talking about a government in extremis’
At another point in the interview, Colbert said he tried to avoid discussing politics on the show after nearly 10 years of hosting his Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report.
But during the 2016 election, which pitted Trump against Hillary Clinton, Colbert said he ‘realized again that you cannot do these shows unless you’re talking about something that you really care about that’s in daily conversation.’
He explained that he felt it was a ‘dangerous thing to cloth someone like Donald Trump… with the power and dignity of the office [of president].
‘Because then people only see the clothing of the dignity and power of that office, then it provides dignity and status to everything the person does.’
Colbert also addressed his show’s cancelation over ‘financial constraints,’ which came days after he slammed CBS’s $16 million settlement with Trump as a ‘big fat bribe‘.
The president had sued the network over the editing on a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris ahead of the presidential election which he claimed constituted interference.
He called the lawsuit a ‘nuisance’ and claimed that the network’s parent company, Paramount, could’ve ‘easily fought it’ – citing the company’s own words calling Trump’s allegations ‘completely without merit.’
‘And keep in mind Paramount produced Transformers: Rise of the Beast. They know “completely without merit”,’ Colbert joked at the time, poking fun at the Paramount film that bombed at the box office.
Colbert also addressed his show’s cancelation over ‘financial constraints,’ which came days after he slammed CBS’s $16 million settlement with Trump as a ‘big fat bribe ‘
He then cited a phony statement, joking that the network said, ‘You may take our money, but you will never take our dignity.
‘You may, however, purchase our dignity for the low, low, price of $16 million. We need the cash.’
The comedian claimed the pay our came in light of the company’s $8.4billion merger with Skydance, which got approval from the Trump administration in July.
Reflecting on the situation in the interview with GQ, Colbert said he often defers to the network about decisions, but ‘it is self-evident that this is damaging to the reputation of the network, the corporation and the news division.
‘So it is unclear to me why anyone would do that other than to curry favor with a single individual,’ he said.
Colbert is now set to air his final episode of Late Night with Stephen Colbert in May 2026, something he has poked fun at on his show.
In a recent episode, the late night host even applauded Trump’s Gaza peace deal – before cheekily asking if his doomed show would be saved.
Colbert is now set to air his final episode of Late Night with Stephen Colbert in May 2026, something he has poked fun at on his show
‘There is some good news out there. Because, today, thanks to Trump’s newly brokered ceasefire in Gaza, all living Israeli hostages and almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners have been released. It’s important,’ Colbert said.
‘Credit where credit is due – Donald Trump did something good… Are we still canceled? You sure? I tried.’
Colbert is now set to dip his toe into voice acting, with a role in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
The comedian, who will not be on screen, said she was ‘thrilled’ about the new opportunity that is set to hit screens on January 15, 2026.
He also said that he is looking forward to not having to ‘spend four hours in hair and makeup every day’ for the new role.
Leave a Reply