Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, more stars salute Stephen Colbert for taking on Trump as “Late Show” ends

Kathleen PerriconeFri, May 22, 2026 at 12:09 AM UTC

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Mark Ruffalo; Jane Fonda; Sally Field
Credit: Committee for the First Amendment/Instagram (3)Key Points -

Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, Sally Field, and more saluted Stephen Colbert in a video message ahead of his final episode of The Late Show.

Committee for the First Amendment, founded by Fonda, noted that Colbert's "courage is contagious. And we won't stop fighting."

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert airs its 1800th and final episode tonight, May 21.

Many of Stephen Colbert's famous supporters are saluting the Late Show host for exercising his First Amendment right nightly on CBS, even if it may have cost the comedian his job.

Committee for the First Amendment — a collective of artists in defense of "free expression against repression, industry complicity, and intimidation" — created a video compilation featuring its esteemed members, each taking a line from the group's heartfelt send-off message, ahead of his final show on May 21.

Stephen Colbert on May 18, 2026
Credit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS

"He called out CBS for paying off Trump," begins West Side Story actress Ariana DeBose. "CBS canceled his show."

"For over a decade on The Late Show, Stephen has used humor to bring us joy while holding power accountable," continues Community's Yvette Nicole Brown. "He has made us laugh, and he has never flinched," adds Jane Fonda, founder of Committee for the First Amendment.

Academy Award nominee Mark Ruffalo says he'll miss Colbert, but more so, "I'm disturbed by what it means that he'll be gone." And as Sally Field points out, "authoritarians need to get rid of those voices, voices of the people."

According to the Committee, Colbert is not the first to suffer the consequences of speaking his mind freely: "Jimmy Kimmel — suspended. NPR — defunded. The AP, The View, and now, The Wall Street Journal — sued, threatened, pressured," they state in the video. CBS has said that the Colbert cancellation was "purely a financial decision."

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Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert
Credit: Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty

As the Late Show host exits after 11 years on the air, the committee of actors, directors, comedians, and journalists vow to carry on "the torch Stephen has held so high."

"You stood up courageously, even when it cost you something," the video concludes. "That courage is contagious. And we won't stop fighting."

In the hours before Colbert’s 1800th and final show, politicians (and noted Trump adversaries) also joined the conversation.

"There aren't many who can make people think and laugh at the same time," former president Joe Biden wrote in an Instagram post. "For years, Stephen brought wit, heart, and honesty to late night television. America could always count on a laugh — and sometimes a needed reality check."

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Hillary Clinton, three-time Late Show guest who ran against Trump in the 2016 presidential election, highlighted Colbert's "deep thoughtfulness, empathy, and humility" in addition to "his great wit" in her own Instagram tribute. "Here's to a next chapter as brilliant as the last."

on Entertainment Weekly

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