Stephen Colbert‘s show ended with fresh controversy as guest Robert De Niro threw a not-so-subtle jab at Donald Trump over the unreleased files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Colbert has long been critical of Trump, and although his show was reportedly pulled for financial reasons, many believe the decision was linked to his criticism of CBS’s parent company, Paramount, over the $16 million settlement it agreed to pay Trump.
Weighing in on reports suggesting the president’s golden cellphone had “finally arrived,” Colbert also ripped into Eric Trump, saying he was the only “Trump item more disappointing” after a nine-month wait.
Robert De Niro Joins A-Listers In Colbert Sendoff
In the buildup to the final taping of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Thursday, May 21, the late-night host welcomed several famous faces for what turned out to be interesting conversations.
Stars like Barack Obama, Tom Hanks, John Oliver, Martha Stewart, Tiffany Haddish, Aubrey Plaza, and David Letterman, among others, all made guest appearances as questioners to celebrate Colbert’s run since taking over the CBS staple in 2015 and to help uncover things about the comedian that fans may have missed.
It was an unusual format, as the celebrities briefly stepped in as guest hosts while Colbert sat on the sofa and fielded questions for “The Colbert Questionert.”
Robert De Niro Sends Colbert Off With Trump Jab
However, actor Robert De Niro took things a notch higher when he fired shots at President Donald Trump over the unreleased Epstein files during the Wednesday, May 20 episode.
At one point, De Niro asked Colbert what number he was thinking of, to which the host replied, “There’s a hint as to what the answer is, because whenever somebody answers the question and gives the wrong answer, I always say no; and when they give the right answer, which has happened at least twice — Meryl Streep and Ethan Hawke guessed correctly — Ethan Hawke goes immediately, ‘I know what it is. It’s three.’ That’s the number I was thinking of.”
The “Dirty Grandpa” actor was more than happy to make things political and take a swipe at Trump.
“OK,” he replied. “Because I thought it would have been two million point five, or two and a half million. That’s the number of Epstein files Trump still hasn’t released.”
Stephen Colbert Fires Shots At Eric Trump
Since his exit from “The Late Show” was confirmed in 2025, Stephen Colbert has taken little caution in throwing jabs at the network and even at Trump.
The show’s Instagram page shared a clip from the May 20 episode, where Colbert took aim at the president’s son Eric during a monologue about Trump’s newly arrived gold cellphone.
Colbert began by saying he had “wonderful news” for his “MAGA viewers,” before bringing up a report that noted Trump’s golden cellphone had “finally arrived” after a “nine-month delay.”
“Now, the only Trump item more disappointing after a nine-month wait was Eric,” Colbert said, poking fun at Trump’s 42-year-old son. “You know, you know, I’ve said a lot of mean things about Eric over the years.”
He then shifted his attention back to the phone, adding, “As for the phone [applause]. As for the phone, let’s be clear: This thing sucks!”
Colbert Said He Is Not Afraid Of Trump
With suspicions that his firing had Trump written all over it, Colbert said in a recent interview with People that he is not scared of the president, as he addressed the political implications of his exit.
“I don’t have any fear of the administration doing anything to me,” Colbert told the news outlet. “We’re clowns. How much does it diminish the office of the presidency to even notice what we say? That guy needs to know how to pick his battles, metaphorically and literally.”
Colbert also appears to be bent on moving forward and is now looking to the future with grace.
“You can’t do this forever. Who knows, maybe CBS saved my life,” he said. “Because it takes a lot of bone marrow to do the show every day, and now I’ll be stepping down with enough time, enough energy to do other things that I want to do.”
Trump Trolls Colbert With AI Videos
Trump has often slammed Colbert over the years and expressed disapproval of some of his jokes. Back in July, when CBS first announced it was pulling his show, he took to Truth Social to write, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.”
In the early hours of Saturday, May 23, the billionaire politician took to X to share an AI video that showed Colbert welcoming guests to his “final broadcast,” before an AI version of Trump crept up behind him, yanked him away, and dumped him in a large trash can.
The clip then showed the AI Trump dancing to Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” adding another provocative chapter to his long-running feud with the late-night host.