Stephen Colbert’s late-night run is officially ending in May 2026, and the final episodes have been packed with some surprisingly sharp political jabs, including a moment where former President Barack Obama suggested the comedian might actually outperform a certain recent president. During a May 5 interview on The Late Show, Obama didn’t hold back as he critiqued the state of presidential norms, all while Colbert grinned and the audience erupted in applause.
The conversation took a playful turn when Obama laid out his vision for how the White House should operate. According to Fox News, Obama said, “We’re gonna have to do some work to return to this basic norm, and we probably now have to codify it. The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the Attorney General to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants.”
