Stephen Colbert mocked by Variety over 'ego trip' as guests kiss his ring before May exit

The final season of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" was ripped as "not very good TV" and out of touch with everyday Americans as the host has been flattered by a parade of celebrities in a column, Thursday, from entertainment outlet Variety.

CBS announced in July that it had canceled "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and that it would officially go off the air in May 2026. Liberal critics have accused CBS and Paramount of ending the show to appease President Donald Trump and receive approval for a long-planned merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media.

Since then, there has been a variety of celebrities reading poetry or literally singing Colbert’s praises as he prepared to bid goodbye to his show, as noted in Daniel D'Addario’s piece, "Stephen Colbert’s Long ‘Late Show’ Goodbye Has Gone From Resistance to Ego Trip."

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"What has ended up making it to air has been an increasingly puffy tribute to the show’s own host. The endless bouquets being tossed Colbert’s way have started to make the studio smell a bit cloying," he wrote, noting various recent guest appearances such as actor John Lithgow reading a poem toasting Colbert, song tributes from Bette Midler and Jimmy Fallon, and actress Drew Barrymore recreating her famous striptease from years before on another show to reveal a t-shirt saying, "We [Heart] Stephen."

"The show’s focus on its own host’s misfortune has become outsized and a bit dramatic, especially because so many other institutions are in crisis: With everything else going on in the world, we have to go through a monthslong celebration-of-life for a comedian whose job is coming to an end?" D'Addario wrote.

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"Colbert deserved better treatment from CBS, but watching one person beam while receiving laurel after laurel doesn’t make the argument for his show’s relevance, as it’s frankly not very good TV, and — for this relentlessly political host — not in touch with the concerns of people who have been turning to ‘The Late Show’ for its political perspective," the writer argued.

In one final barb, the author suggested that while Colbert’s public-facing career is likely far from over, "When that day comes, won’t it feel like an anticlimax, after we’ve already spent the better part of a year celebrating him?" D'Addario asked.

When reached for comment, Christian Toto, host of the "Hollywood in Toto" podcast, responded to the opinion piece by saying it "stunned me." 

He added, "It's possible that stories like this are meant to warn Colbert that he's hurting his legacy and future impact, allowing him to course correct before it's too late. Variety, like most entertainment news outlets, leans aggressively to the Left. Criticizing Colbert like this is a no-no on that front."

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Fox News Digital contacted Paramount, which owns CBS and Colbert’s show, and did not receive an immediate reply.