Amid swirling controversy and shifting tides, he maintains a confident posture, quietly shaping the narrative from behind the scenes.

In a press conference on August 7, 2025, former President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of late-night television hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, claiming they are “next” in line to be canceled following CBS’s recent announcement that “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will end in May 2026.

Trump’s remarks come amid a swirl of public debate and backlash surrounding the cancellation of Colbert’s long-running show, which some view as politically motivated, though CBS’s parent company Paramount insists the decision was purely financial.

Speaking to reporters, including Brian Glenn from Real America’s Voice, Trump was asked about the recent news that radio personality

Howard Stern might leave Sirius XM after his contract expires this fall, prompting a broader question about whether America is turning away from what Glenn described as the “hate Trump” entertainment model.

Trump seized the opportunity to hammer late-night hosts he has long criticized. “Well, it hasn’t worked,” he said of the model, “and it hasn’t worked, really, for a long time, and I would say pretty much from the beginning.”

He singled out Colbert, Fallon, and Kimmel, stating bluntly, “Colbert has no talent. I mean, I could take anybody here. I could go outside in the beautiful streets and pick a couple of people that do just as well or better. They’d get higher ratings than he did. He’s got no talent.”

The former president did not stop there. “Fallon has no talent. Kimmel has no talent. They’re next. They’re going to be going. I hear they’re going to be going.

I don’t know, but I would imagine because they’d get—you know, Colbert has better ratings than Kimmel or Fallon,” Trump asserted, suggesting that their shows’ future is as uncertain as Colbert’s.

Trump’s aggressive stance echoed statements he made earlier on his social media platform Truth Social, where he celebrated the cancellation of Colbert’s show with a post that read:

“The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone.”

In the same post, he criticized the hosts’ influence on late-night television, writing, “These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television.

It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!”

The controversy surrounding Colbert’s cancellation has ignited fierce debate among political commentators, viewers, and CBS employees.

While some liberal voices accused CBS of yielding to Trump’s pressure by canceling a show perceived as critical of the former president,

Paramount’s official statement maintained the decision was driven by financial considerations and programming strategy rather than politics.

Internally, the announcement reportedly caused significant unrest among CBS staffers, some of whom openly criticized Paramount’s handling of the settlement with Trump, describing it as “shameful.”

The network now faces the challenge of filling the late-night slot with new programming that appeals to evolving audiences amid a shifting media landscape.

Regarding the broader late-night ecosystem, the discussion also touched on Howard Stern’s rumored departure from Sirius XM, an influential figure in radio who has experienced ups and downs in recent years.

Trump commented on Stern’s decline, attributing it to the radio host’s political endorsement of Hillary Clinton in 2016. “He lost his audience. People said give me a break. He went down when he endorsed Hillary Clinton,” Trump remarked.

The former president’s comments come at a time when late-night television is under increasing scrutiny as viewership habits change, and networks seek to balance entertainment with audience expectations.

Whether Trump’s predictions about Fallon and Kimmel will come to pass remains uncertain, but his vocal criticism is sure to keep the conversation about late-night television’s future at the forefront of media discussions.

Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, both long-standing late-night hosts with millions of viewers, have not publicly responded to Trump’s recent remarks. Their shows continue to air on NBC and ABC respectively, each adapting to evolving cultural and political climates.

As the countdown continues toward the conclusion of Colbert’s tenure at CBS in May 2026, industry insiders and viewers alike are watching

closely to see how the late-night landscape will shift—and whether Trump’s calls for cancellations will reshape the future of late-night entertainment.

The interplay between politics and entertainment has rarely been more visible, illustrating how public figures and media personalities influence and respond to each other in the digital age.

The next chapter in this saga promises to be as dynamic and unpredictable as the personalities involved.