Stephen Colbert had a lot to say about President Trump on Monday night, which led to an online backlash. On Wednesday night, he responded to that backlash.
On Wednesday night’s “Late Show, ” Colbert responded to that backlash.
“Welcome to ‘The Late Show.’ I’m your host, Stephen Colbert. Still? I am still the host? I’m still the host!” Colbert said at the top of the show, according to a transcript provided to CNN by CBS.
Colbert continued, “Now, if you saw my monologue Monday, you know that I was a little upset at Donald Trump for insulting a friend of mine.”
That friend was Colbert’s CBS colleague John Dickerson, who Trump abruptly ended a recent interview with in the Oval Office.
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“So at the end of that monologue I had a few choice insults for the president in return. I don’t regret that. He, I believe, can take care of himself. I have jokes; he has the launch codes. So, it’s a fair fight, ” Colbert said.
One of those insults on Monday night’s show implied that Trump was taking part in a sexual act with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The insult was considered lewd and offensive by some.
Colbert finished his response by saying he “would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be.”
But he added, “I’m not going to repeat the phrase, but I just want to say for the record, life is short, and anyone who expresses their love for another person, in their own way, is to me, an American hero. I think we can all agree on that. I hope even the president and I can agree on that. Nothing else. But, that.”