Stephen Colbert says he’d resign instantly if he spent 24 hours in Donald Trump’s body
Stephen Colbert delivered one of his sharpest and most talked-about jokes yet when he was asked a hypothetical question about stepping into someone else’s body for 24 hours.
Speaking during Slate’s Political Gabfest 20th anniversary show last month, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert host said his answer was a ‘predictable’ one. With a laugh, Colbert reportedly said, ‘I would slip inside the skin of our president, and I would resign.’
The remark landed immediately with the audience. Colbert, who has been a frequent critic of Donald Trump and has repeatedly been targeted by the former president, made it clear he would not turn the moment into a spectacle.
He told former CBS Evening News anchor John Dickerson that there would be “no scandal” and “no confession” attached to his imaginary resignation.
“[I’d] just go, ‘It’s been great, I’m a wonderful — I’m the best ever. I’m going to go out on top, I’ve done everything. I’m just going to go,’ that’s it. It can be a glorious ending. Just end it,” Colbert added.
As the conversation continued, New York Times Magazine staff writer Emily Bazelon raised the idea that Colbert’s body swap might come with complications if people discovered what had happened. That prompted a quick and uneasy follow up from Colbert himself.
“Is he taking over my body for those 24 hours?” the comedian asked, drawing laughter with the implication that the arrangement could work both ways.
The moment was one of several candid and humorous exchanges during the Slate event, where Colbert also reflected on his future following major changes at CBS.
During the discussion, Colbert agreed with Dickerson that the two of them should “do something together” after their long careers at the network. Dickerson recently stepped away from the CBS Evening News desk alongside co anchor Maurice DuBois, amid criticism that CBS has taken a noticeable rightward turn.
Colbert’s own future has also been the subject of intense speculation. The Late Show is set to end in May after CBS decided to cancel the programme last year. While the network insisted the decision was “purely a financial decision,” many viewed it as a response to political pressure, given Colbert’s outspoken criticism of Trump.
Looking ahead, Colbert said he plans to step back for a while once the show ends. He explained that he wants time “to learn something that I didn’t know before, to do something I’ve never done before.” While he said he already knows what that next step is, he declined to reveal any details.
Earlier in the event, Colbert also addressed growing chatter about a possible run for president in 2028. He told the audience that he “understands” why people would want him to consider it, but made it clear that such a move would not be taken lightly.
He said he would need to discuss the idea with his faith leader and his family to decide whether, once his CBS programme comes to an end, he “could be of some greater service to this nation that I love so much.”
For now, Colbert appears focused on finishing his final months on late night television while continuing to deliver the pointed humour that has defined his time behind the desk. His offhand joke about resigning as Trump may have been imaginary, but it once again underlined how closely comedy and politics remain intertwined in his work.