Colbert’s last day is nigh; how did we get here, and what do we do next?
The upcoming end of The Late Show on Thursday, May 21 is an occasion to take a look back over the past year and a half of Trump’s attacks on our freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech in America
Let’s start with a basic question: what are the key values foundational to our country?
The First Amendment enshrined in our Bill of Rights defends freedoms of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the government. These primary (and fundamental) rights were enshrined in our Constitution in direct response to a dictatorial monarch whom the Founding Fathers could no longer endure.
These fundamental freedoms, and our fearless exercise thereof, are how we defend America from those who would rule accountably.
For two and a half centuries, our freedom to organize, understand the activities of our government, and practice our own religious or spiritual beliefs has been an assumed and sacred part of American culture. Even standards that were unspoken or unwritten, such as a basic level of respect from public representatives toward both the people (all the people) and the press, were expected, even taken for granted.
Trump fancies himself a new king of America, and has acted accordingly. He’s thrown the basic standards of decorum, respect for the law, and all the values of the nation out the window.
This includes, among countless other things, his attacks on comedians who have criticized him, including Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert—the last of whom he successfully persuaded CBS to fire.
Attacks on comedians are attacks on free speech
“We are seeing the gravest assault on freedom of speech at least since the McCarthy era” Jonathan Hafetz – Membership Officer, International Bar Association Human Rights Law Committee
With the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show, we’re not simply losing a TV show, nor are we losing quippy one-liners with a beloved Late Show host. Colbert’s final airing represents one more chip in the armor the First Amendment provides us against tyranny.
Trump has already attacked other television personalities critical of his regime. His lackey at the FCC disregarded decades of governmental recognition of ABC’s bona fide news exemption, which it’s held for over twenty years, to go after the hosts of The View. This exemption allows broadcasters to feature political candidates on genuine news programming without triggering equal time clauses. Free-speech advocates and analysts are calling to update the definition of “bona fide news” in order to protect it from the whims of the Trump-controlled FCC.
Trump wants to take our freedom of speech away. He wants to do unto us without us being able to so much as speak out about it or make jokes about it. If he can get Colbert fired for criticizing or mocking him, then he could do the same to any of us.
As the Center for American Progress explains, “leading the charge to crush dissent through both the soft power of their words and by using the levers of the federal government against Americans” in spite of their adamant hate for ‘cancel culture.’ This perfectly encapsulates the hypocrisy of authoritarians and fascists. This ultimate hallmark of Trump’s fascism is manifested through his violent, often misogynistic and racist rhetoric, cryonism, and vindictive “laws for thee but not for me” mentality.
The ACLU warned in 2024 how the Trump regime would attack our rights to free speech and protest, and how this would be a “...dangerous threat to the democratic ideal of robust, open political competition marked by spirited dissent and the foundational notion of government by the people and for the people, with respect for the rule of law…” With the reins of power in the hands of the now boldly authoritarian-right, the ACLU’s warning has been proven right.
The right wing’s quest to rule unchallenged
Trump’s attacks on three late-night comedians who are all white men follow years of ongoing suppression of BIPOC, API, women, and queer communities.
This includes the backlash to liberation movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo of the 2010s and early 2020s. It includes the right wing’s manufactured outrage against Colin Kaepernick's exercise of his protected First Amendment rights to protest racial injustice and police brutality. It includes the ongoing suppression of Epstein’s survivors’ and victims’ stories.
The political right weaponizes rhetoric and the media in their efforts to tear down the bulwarks of our country, and manipulate public opinion during election seasons by manufacturing outrage towards those who criticize their king. As this Guardian article rightly stated, these attacks are un-American: “Americans don’t want the government to decide what TV comics can and can’t say.”
Defend your rights before you lose them
The Trump Regime’s continued attacks against our First Amendment rights goes far beyond Colbert; beyond comedians; beyond sports stars. First they came for professors, then they came for the law firms, now they’re coming for the late show hosts. Who will be next? They have come for the unknown who are exercising their freedom of speech. When they come for you, will there be anyone left to speak out?
We know it is possible to thwart these attacks, like with the outrage with Jimmy Kimmel. But we also know that we don’t always win—and that’s no reason to stop fighting.
Trump wants to make an example of Colbert so that you will give up your freedom of speech. Don’t let him.
The American people embody our power through peaceful protest and demonstrations, including the record breaking No Kings protests. By keeping up this fight, we continue our long march to victory.
We can focus on our collective power. The forces of MAGA may try to suppress us, but they’ve yet to see how powerful we can be. We, the People!
Resources:
Trump’s assault on the First Amendment; https://www.ibanet.org/Trumps-assault-on-the-First-Amendment
Trump Approval Tracker: https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker
Trump on Surveillance, Protest, and Free Speech: https://www.aclu.org/publications/trump-on-surveillance-protest-and-free-speech
ABC argues Trump administration is trying to chill free speech: https://www.npr.org/2026/05/09/nx-s1-5816844/abc-trump-administration-free-speech
What is the 'equal time' rule that Colbert says led CBS to pull his Talarico interview?: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-is-the-equal-time-rule-that-colbert-says-led-cbs-to-pull-his-talarico-interview
The FCC’s Public Notice on “Bona Fide News,” by Daniel R. Suhr: https://www.yalejreg.com/nc/the-fccs-public-notice-on-bona-fide-news-by-daniel-r-suhr/
The Trump Administration’s Dangerous Embrace of Cancel Culture: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-trump-administrations-dangerous-embrace-of-cancel-culture
Hypocrisy and Fascism: https://hac.bard.edu/amor-mundi/hypocrisy-and-fascism-2018-08-12
As Americans Deepen Their Nonviolent Mobilization, the Trump Administration Begins To Make Concessions: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/as-americans-deepen-their-nonviolent-mobilization-the-trump-administration-begins-to-make-concessions/
What happens after Trump blows up the world order: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/03/26/global-liberal-order-democracy-threat/
America’s Zombie Democracy: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/09/america-authoritarian-regime-ai-suicide/684350/
Kaepernick kneels for justice: https://celebratecalifornia.library.ca.gov/kaepernick-kneels-for-justice/
The Donald rising: how the US media boosted Trump’s campaign: https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/how-the-media-boosted-donald-trump/7521328
Jimmy Kimmel’s quip about Melania Trump is protected speech, and Disney must stand tall: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/30/jimmy-kimmel-speech-melania-trump-protected-disney
Bill Maher, Once Canceled by the Right, Takes Aim at the Left’s Cancel Culture: https://www.newsweek.com/bill-maher-once-canceled-right-takes-aim-lefts-cancel-culture-1631186
The U-Turn of Candace Owens: From Liberal Critic to Conservative Firebrand: https://www.newyorkparalegalblog.com/2025/10/the-u-turn-of-candace-owens-from.html
CBS ‘Censorship’ of Stephen Colbert Slammed by Democratic FCC Commissioner as Latest ‘Corporate Capitulation’ to Trump Administration: https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/cbs-censorship-stephen-colbert-capitulation-trump-fcc-commissioner-1236665536/
The Assault on Academic Freedom: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/resources/human-rights/2025-october/assault-on-academic-freedom/
Trump’s Battle With Big Law Firms Heads Into 2026: What to Know: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/trumps-battle-with-big-law-firms-heads-into-2026-what-to-know
The Most Vulnerable Among Us Deserve Our Attention, Too, When their Free Speech is Trampled: https://pen.org/the-most-vulnerable-among-us-deserve-our-attention-too-when-their-free-speech-is-trampled/
Lessons From a Victory: The Jimmy Kimmel Pushback: https://www.paulloeb.org/lessons-from-a-victory-the-jimmy-kimmel-pushback/