Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' jokes targeted conservatives 87% of time in final years, study says

FIRST ON FOX — The final years of CBS’ "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" overwhelmingly featured liberal guests and jokes targeting conservatives, according to a new study conducted by the Media Research Center (MRC). 

MRC news analyst Alex Christy examined every "Late Show" joke since the start of 2023 and found that a staggering 87% have targeted conservatives and nearly every guest was liberal. 

"Good riddance to Colbert’s nightly group therapy session for progressive elitists who could not understand why half the country kept rejecting their worldview," MRC President David Bozell told Fox News Digital. 

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According to the study, Colbert made 3,639 jokes about President Donald Trump from Jan. 3, 2023, through the eve of his final episode. 

Former President Joe Biden was the target of 339 jokes during that time, finishing second to Trump, who was a punchline 3,300 more times than Biden. 

Colbert joked about George Santos 269 times, HHS Secratary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 208 times, Republicans in general 180 times, Vice President JD Vance 151 times, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth 146 times, Elon Musk 143 times, ex-DHS Secratary Kristi Noem 106 and Rudy Giuliani 104 times, according to the study. 

First lady Melania Trump finished just outside the top 10, with Colbert poking fun at her 100 times. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Eric Trump and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy were all mocked dozens of times, too.  

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Colbert only joked about former Vice President Kamala Harris 21 times during that three-year period, according to the study. Despite losing the presidential election and being at the forefront of a months-long news cycle, Harris was joked about less than figures such as Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, FBI Director Kash Patel, former Vice President Mike Pence, Former U.S. Amb. to the United Nations Nikki Haley and "conservatives" as a group. 

Former President Ronald Reagan, who died in 2004, managed to be the butt of a Colbert 24 times during the same span. 

Hunter Biden, who provided plenty of material for comedians willing to go there, was only joked about four times. Eric Trump, on the other hand, was the butt of 84 jokes while Colbert mocked Donald Trump Jr. 56 times. 

When it comes to Colbert’s guests, the study found that 99% were openly liberal or considered liberal by the MRC.

Far-left comedian John Oliver joined the CBS late-night show nine times from September 6, 2002, through May 21, 2026, to finish with the most appearances. 

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Lefty journalists John Dickeron and Anderson Cooper ranked second with eight apiece, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Jen Psaki, Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes. 

Harris, Alex Wagner, former first lady Michelle Obama, Seth Meyers, Jake Tapper, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Sen. Cory Booker, Trevor Noah, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the former Obama staffers who host "Pod Save America," Gayle King, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, George Stephanpoplous, Jimmy Kimmel and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shaprio have each appeared multiple times, too. 

Former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney, an outspoken critic of Trump, was the only person considered a conservative to appear on the "Late Show" during that time, according to the study.