Trump Shares AI Colbert Trash-Can Video as Finale Draws 6.74 Million Viewers

5 articles · Updated · Salon · May 23

6.74 million viewers watched Stephen Colbert’s final "Late Show" episode, Nielsen data showed — the biggest audience of his 11-year run and far above his recent mid-2 million levels.
Trump still claimed Colbert had "no ratings" and cast the exit as cultural rejection, then posted an AI-generated Truth Social video showing Colbert thrown into a garbage can while Trump danced.
The clip spread quickly online, with critics calling it disturbing and supporters framing it as trolling of a longtime political adversary rather than a response to the ratings data.
The post fits Trump’s broader use of AI imagery and altered visuals to depict symbolic victories over opponents, shifting the fight from measurable TV performance to viral narratives of dominance.

What does this event signal about the future of late-night television in a new media landscape?

How will AI-generated content reshape the relationship between public figures and the media outlets that cover them?

With media giants merging, are popular but expensive shows becoming an unaffordable luxury for networks?