The backlash was swift on social media as #FireColbert became a trending topic and some saw it as homophobic.
Facing backlash for his controversial anti-Trump monologue earlier in the week on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert said Wednesday that he has no regrets.
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Colbert's comments Monday night ignited a firestorm with conservatives, with many accusing him of crossing the line.
“You attract more skinheads than Rogaine," he said. "You have more people marching against you than cancer. You talk like a sign language gorilla who got hit in the head. In fact, the only thing your mouth is good for is for Vladimir Putin’s c*** holster."
The uproar was immediate and fierce on social media as #FireColbert became a trending topic and some saw his remarks as homophobic.
"I thought it was obscene, lewd, inappropriate," former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove told Fox News.
Poking fun at the calls for his ouster Wednesday, Colbert made his usual entrance, asking the crowd: “Am I still the host?”
He then explained that the monologue was Colbert venting his anger at the president after Trump abruptly ended an Oval Office interview with CBS’ John Dickerson. The reporter was asking Trump about the unsupported claims that President Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower.
“So at the end of that monologue I had a few choice insults for the president in return," Colbert said Wednesday. "I don't regret that. He, I believe, can take of himself. I have jokes, he has the launch codes. So it's a fair fight.”
Colbert also addressed critics who accused his rant of being homophobic.
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“While I would do it again, I would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be," he said. "I'm not going to repeat the phrase, but I just want to say, for the record, life is short, and anyone who expresses their love in their own way, is to me an American hero. I think we can all agree on that. I hope even the president and I can agree on that. Nothing else. But, that.”
Since Trump has become president, Colbert has enjoyed a steady incline to the top spot in the ratings, beating out competitors Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Conan O’Brien.
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