Stephen Colbert's attempt to compliment CNN's objectivity during an interview on "The Late Show" was met with unexpected laughter from the audience, highlighting the network's perceived partisan stance.
On Monday's episode of "The Late Show," host Stephen Colbert's off-the-cuff comment about CNN's "objectivity" elicited amused laughter from his liberal New York City audience. During an interview with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, Colbert praised the news organization's reporting, noting, "I know you guys are objective over there, that you just report the news as it is."
The audience's laughter caught Colbert off guard, and he quickly objected, waving his hand and grinning. "No, no no—" he chuckled. "CNN makes a..." he trailed off. Collins reacted with a smirk, asking, "Was that supposed to be a laugh line?"
Colbert's Unexpected Humor: Audience Laughs at CNN's 'Objectivity'
The interaction was highlighted by Media Research Center's Brent Baker, who shared a clip on Twitter. "Not even NYC lefties buy CNN as objective," he wrote.
During the Trump presidency, CNN developed a reputation as a partisan news organization due to its anti-Trump tone. Then-White House reporter Jim Acosta had frequent confrontations with administration members, leading Trump to label the network "fake news."
Colbert's Unexpected Humor: Audience Laughs at CNN's 'Objectivity'
In 2022, TV producer Chris Licht, the former executive producer of Colbert's show, took over CNN and aimed to reduce the left-leaning opinion programming that had dominated under Jeff Zucker. Licht made overtures to Republicans and fired some prominent liberal anchors and reporters, but Zucker-era staffers remained within the company.
However, Licht was eventually fired in 2023 after reportedly losing the support of liberal employees. Left-wing commentators such as Jeffrey Toobin, Don Lemon, and Brian Stelter have since returned to the network after being removed under Licht's leadership.
Colbert's Unexpected Humor: Audience Laughs at CNN's 'Objectivity'
Despite Licht's efforts to reduce partisanship, liberal commentators have criticized his changes, accusing him of sacrificing journalistic integrity for ratings. The audience's laughter during Colbert's CNN comment suggests that many liberals remain skeptical of the network's objectivity.
Fox News' Brian Flood and David Rutz contributed to this article.
