White House Responds to De Niro, Springsteen Shots
The White House has issued a sharp response after actor Robert De Niro and rocker Bruce Springsteen took aim at President Donald Trump during a star-packed episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” that aired Wednesday, as the programme approaches its finale.
During the show’s “Colbert Questionert” segment, De Niro joked that the number on his mind was “two million point five, or two and a half million,” adding that it was “the number of Epstein files Trump still hasn’t released,” Fox News Digital reported.
Springsteen, who closed the episode with his protest song “Streets of Minneapolis,” told the studio audience he was supporting Colbert because “you’re the first guy in America who’s lost his show because we’ve got a president who can’t take a joke,” and also criticised Paramount leadership while discussing the late-night host’s exit.
The White House pushback came the following day, with a spokesperson telling Fox News Digital that Colbert was a “pathetic trainwreck with no talent and terrible ratings,” and claimed that CBS cancelled the show on that basis rather than politics.
The on-air remarks and the administration’s response quickly spilled onto social media, where reactions split along political lines as viewers debated both the performers’ comments and the end of Colbert’s run. The confrontation also arrives amid renewed attention on Springsteen’s political statements, a subject previously highlighted when Bono was set to honour Springsteen alongside De Niro at a separate public event.
Fox News Digital said it had reached out to representatives for De Niro and Springsteen for comment. Meanwhile, Colbert’s farewell week has continued to draw major celebrity drop-ins, underscoring the show’s cultural footprint even as it heads toward its final broadcast.
