Stephen Colbert delivered a live episode of CBS’s The Late Show Wednesday night, following a State of the Union address by President Donald Trump that ran for over an hour and 45 minutes – a new record for speech length. Colbert, who opened the broadcast with a parody of the musical Wicked, joked about the extended address, quipping that Senator Jon Ossoff had seemingly transformed into Jon Voight during the evening.
Colbert’s monologue focused heavily on the President’s speech, mocking its central theme of “America at 250: strong, prosperous, and respected.” “Though, if you have to say you’re strong, prosperous and respected, it kind of feels like you’re not,” Colbert said. He also targeted Trump’s 36% job approval rating and criticized the President’s boasts about the “Trump Account for Kids,” the removal of 2.4 million people from food stamps, and a reported desire to award himself the Congressional Medal of Freedom.
“Throughout his speech tonight, Trump showed remarkable flexibility for a man his age to toot his own horn,” Colbert stated. “It was a dark speech filled with divisive lies, and it’s unlikely to win him much support with the voters who have grown disenchanted with the chaos and dysfunction of the second administration.”
The appearance followed recent scrutiny of Colbert’s programming choices. Earlier this month, an interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico was flagged by the network due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) equal-time regulations, given Talarico’s participation in an upcoming primary. According to reports, the network did not raise similar concerns about Ossoff’s appearance, as his election calendar falls outside the same regulatory window.
Later in the show, Colbert was joined by former CBS News anchor John Dickerson. Prior to the broadcast, Senator Ossoff had appeared on the program to discuss the Jeffrey Epstein files, criticize President Trump, and preview Democratic messaging ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, according to reports. Ossoff reportedly emphasized the importance of voter turnout and highlighted key Democratic themes such as voting access, economic policy, and government accountability.
Colbert, in a self-deprecating moment, revealed he had prepared for the lengthy State of the Union address by consuming an edible. “I didn’t know what to expect. These are always kind of rough with Trump, so just to smooth things out right before the speech, I dropped an edible and strapped in,” he said. “I’m following Michelle Obama’s advice when they go low, we get high.”
