Stephen Colbert not sorry for comments that sparked #FireColbert
A funny thing happened to Stephen Colbert during his extended run at the top of the late-night ratings: After one of his many segments attacking President Trump went viral, people on social media started asking that CBS #FireColbert over something he said on Monday’s show.
Colbert did not respond to the campaign Tuesday, but on Wednesday the issue led his show. “I’m your host, Stephen Colbert,” he said. “Still? Am I still the host? I’m still the host!
“Now, folks, if you saw my monologue on Monday, you know that I was a little upset with Donald Trump for insulting a friend of mine,” Colbert began. “So, at the end of that monologue I had a few choice insults for the president in return.”
On Monday, Colbert had commented on an interview between John Dickerson of CBS’ “Face the Nation” and Trump, during which the latter referred to the network’s long-running show as “Deface the Nation.” The late-night host then explained that Dickerson had too much dignity to trade insults with the president, so he offered a string of his own.
“Mr. President, I love your presidency,” Colbert said. “I call it ‘Disgrace the Nation.’ You’re not the POTUS; You’re the gloat-us. You’re the glutton with the button. You’re a regular Gorge Washington. You’re the presi-dunce,” Colbert said, then topped off his roast with a vulgar reference to oral sex between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Voices on social media, the bulk of them conservative, seized upon the remarks, labeling the last part homophobic and calling for repercussions under the hashtag #FireColbert. Some made parallels to comments made by Bill O’Reilly, who lost his longtime show on Fox News last month in the wake of multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
“I don’t regret that,” Colbert said Wednesday, grinning like the Cheshire cat as his studio audience cheered.
“I believe he (Trump) can take care of himself,” he added. “I have jokes, he has the launch codes. So, a fair fight.”
He went on to explain that if he had it to do again he would change a few words that were “cruder than they needed to be.”
“I’m not going to repeat the phrase,” he began. “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.”