Stephen Colbert closed out 2025 by sharing the most important lesson he learned in 2025 during CNN’s live New Year’s Eve special

While speaking to Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper during the broadcast, Colbert was asked about what the past year had taught him. And, the late-night host responded by saying, “Don’t trust billionaires.” He began to laugh and further elaborated on his answer, “They don’t get rich by finding that money on the side of the road, brother.”

Cohen’s question comes in the aftermath of Colbert’s very public feud with President Donald Trump and CBS. Earlier last year, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled by the network. The long-running series would conclude after over a decade in May 2026, after the host’s contract with CBS expires.

The TV personality suspected that his rocky relationship with the billionaire President of the United States likely played a large part in his series getting axed. However, CBS claimed that the decision had nothing to do with politics. The network said that the reason it wasn’t renewing The Late Show was that it was losing them money and the ratings weren’t good enough.

The cancellation of The Late Show was announced in July 2025 and immediately riled up the entertainment industry. Despite the claims made by CBS executives, the timing of the decision fueled speculation that while finances may have had something to do with it, it wasn’t the only factor. CBS was accused of caving in and trying to appease the newly elected President Trump, as Colbert has been known to be one of his biggest critics.

Support for Colbert poured in from both his colleagues and viewers following the announcement. David Letterman, who launched The Late Show in 1993 and hosted it for more than two decades, also made it known that he did not approve of the network’s decision. He said the choice to cancel the show was due to fear, not financial struggles. He condemned CBS for being too scared to let the voices of their talent be heard because they don’t want to deal with political backlash.

[They] don’t want any trouble along the lines of freedom of the press or free speech or freedom of expression. They don’t want the government going after them, because that concept of freedom of the press and freedom of speech — that’s so old-fashioned.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will conclude in May 2026 on CBS.