Stephen Colbert shares ONE thing he learned from 2025

Stephen Colbert closed out a turbulent 2025 with a major lesson learned this year.

The Late Show host shared the lesson during CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage with Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper.

“So much has happened in the last year of your life, I’m curious what you left last year, having learned? What was the major lesson that you learned?” Cohen asked the 61-year-old.

“What did I learn? Don’t trust billionaires!” quipped Colbert.

He reflected on a year that saw his show’s cancellation and his own satirical jabs at the wealthy.

Earlier in April, Colbert teamed up with Alan Cumming for a parody song, Billionaires Are Actually Good, mocking the super‑rich’s grip on politics and culture.

With lyrics like “Some people say we should eat the rich / I don’t blame them, they look delish”, the sketch presented his critique of wealth and power.

By July, CBS announced The Late Show would end after its 2025/2026 season retiring the franchise entirely.

Colbert told audiences he wasn’t being replaced, but rather the show itself was “just going away.”

Despite the disappointment, he praised CBS for their partnership and expressed gratitude to viewers worldwide.

In a later interview, Colbert admitted he loved the nightly grind but also felt relief at stepping back.

“You can only do one of these shows… if you give a damn at all about what you’re talking about. And I do. But there is a sense of relief that I might not have to put on the snorkel and get into the sewer every day,” he said.