On Stephen Colbert’s final Late Show episode, Bruce Springsteen delivered a blistering sendoff that hit Donald Trump and the people around CBS’ leadership, then performed “Streets of Minneapolis” tied to ICE and Border Patrol killings in Minnesota. Colbert’s s
Bruce Springsteen walked onto Stephen Colbert’s stage in the Wednesday, May 20 edition of The Late Show with a blunt message for Donald Trump—and for the forces Colbert says helped end the program.
Springsteen. 76. began by backing Colbert “because you’re the first guy in America who’s lost his show because we’ve got a president who can’t take a joke.” Then he pivoted to a more pointed accusation. saying he was there “because Larry and David Ellison feel the need to kiss his a** to get what they want.”.
“Stephen, these are small-minded people who’ve got no idea what the freedoms of this beautiful country are supposed to be about. This is for you,” Springsteen added.
After the rant, the 76-year-old rocker turned quieter, delivering an acoustic rendition of “Streets of Minneapolis.” He wrote the song in response to ICE and Border Patrol killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota earlier this year.
The performance landed inside a wider fight Colbert has been vocal about: the widely held belief that CBS canceled him as political retribution. Colbert pointed to CBS parent company Paramount settling a frivolous lawsuit with Trump in July of 2025. with Colbert saying the deal was meant to secure Trump’s approval for the company’s merger with Skydance—an outcome he describes as effectively handing control of CBS to Trump buddies Larry and David Ellison.
Colbert had quipped that the settlement amounted to “a big fat bribe.” Three days later, CBS canceled The Late Show. The network said it was done for “purely financial reasons.”
One of the Ellisons at the center of Colbert’s claim, Trump-buddy David Ellison, has become a new boss at CBS following Paramount’s merger with Skydance.
Springsteen and Trump have traded insults for years. The “Born to Run” singer has called the 79-year-old Trump “corrupt. incompetent. racist. reckless. and treasonous. ” among other digs during his concerts. Trump. in turn. fired back by saying Springsteen looks like a “dried-up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon.” Trump also accused Springsteen of suffering from a “horrible and incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”.
As Springsteen delivered his farewell, Colbert stayed in a different frame—trying to find the bright side in what’s ahead. The final episode of The Late Show airs Thursday, May 21.
Colbert has taken a zen approach to the cancellation, wondering if CBS inadvertently “saved his life” by ending the show. “It takes a lot of bone marrow to do the show every day, and now I’ll be stepping down with enough time, enough energy to do other things that I want to do,” he told People.
Colbert also has a new project in motion: he’s writing a Lord of the Rings film alongside Peter Jackson. Beyond that, he said, “My schedule is open.”
As the curtain comes down on The Late Show, Springsteen’s appearance made the moment feel less like an orderly exit and more like a public, no-apologies stand—one that tied Colbert’s end to Trump’s ability to take a joke, and to CBS’ choices in how power gets negotiated behind the scenes.
Bruce Springsteen Stephen Colbert The Late Show Donald Trump CBS cancellation Paramount Skydance Larry Ellison David Ellison Streets of Minneapolis ICE killings Border Patrol Renee Good Alex Pretti Lord of the Rings