Rock musician Bruce Springsteen makes remarks criticizing President Donald Trump and the Ellison family—associated with Paramount—before performing on CBS’s “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” sources report. During the second-to-last episode of Colbert’s run, Colbert introduces Springsteen ahead of his performance. Before singing, Springsteen comments that Colbert has lost his show because “we got a president who can’t take a joke.” He also directs remarks at Trump, and targets the Ellisons by name, describing their relationship to Trump in sharply negative terms.
While outlets differ in wording and emphasis, they agree on the core events: Springsteen appears on the penultimate “Late Show,” uses the moment to criticize Trump, and makes additional comments about David Ellison and, in some accounts, Larry Ellison as well. He then proceeds to perform, framing his onstage comments as part of the lead-up to his appearance. The reports treat the remarks as spontaneous material delivered before the performance, rather than as a separate statement issued outside the show.
