CBS is showing Stephen Colbert the door. But he can make a grand exit

After the network’s suspiciously timed cancellation of ‘The Late Show,’ rewarding the host with a talk series prize would make for the ultimate parting gift

- Glenn Whipp Columnist

WHEN I INTERVIEWED STEPHEN COLBERT eight years ago, Donald Trump was in Year 1 of his first term in office and Colbert was finishing his second year of hosting his CBS late-night show.

"The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" had gotten off to a bumpy start as Colbert struggled to adapt to a new form and find his own voice after playing a “well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot” for a decade on Comedy Central’s late-night news satire “The Colbert Report.” “I was not indulging my own instincts,” Colbert told me of his tentative early days at CBS, adding later that he had “stepped away from politics to a fault.” When we spoke, Colbert's program was the No. 1 late-night talk show on the air by a wide margin. Now, eight years later, déjà vu: Donald Trump is in Year 1 of his second term, and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” still reigns as the late-night ratings champ. But there’s one difference. As of next May, Colbert will no longer have a job with CBS, the network having canceled his show last month. That abrupt move has led to all manner of anger (CBS' statement saying it was “purely a financial decision” seems dubious) and hand-wringing (RIP late night). Colbert was the first to mock his newfound sainthood status. Noting that Trump had posted on social media that he absolutely loved that Colbert was fired, Colbert read Trump's followup post: “I hear Jimmy Kimmel's next.”

“Absolutely not, Kimmel,” Colbert said. “I am the martyr. There’s only room for one on this cross and I gotta tell you, the view is fantastic. From up here, I can see your house.”