Claim:
In February 2026, comedian and late-night TV host Stephen Colbert unexpectedly hosted a livestream at 3 a.m. to inform viewers about a threatening text message he had received from a powerful politician.
Rating:
In February and March 2026, a rumor spread that late-night TV host Stephen Colbert unexpectedly started a livestream at 3 a.m. to inform his viewers he had been threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.
For instance, a Facebook page named Issa shared the claim at least three times between Feb. 16 and Feb. 20. It also shared the claim on March 11:
(Facebook page Issa)
Other pages also shared the claim, which was often accompanied by a link to an unreliable blog in the comments. (That link redirected to a website where the post's date suggested the rumor about Colbert had been spreading since at least Jan. 25, 2026). Snopes readers wrote in asking for more information about Colbert's supposed statement.
We found there was no evidence supporting the claim that Colbert had unexpectedly started a livestream after receiving a threatening message from Trump.
Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo found no news media outlets reporting about the rumor. If the rumor were true, a lack of reporting would be incredibly unlikely — Colbert's show (among other late-night shows) has made headlines multiple times over the past year due to what many observers interpret as a conflict with the Trump administration.
Rather, whoever authored the story fabricated the...
Claim: In February 2026, comedian and late-night TV host Stephen Colbert unexpectedly hosted a livestream at 3 a.m. to inform viewers about a threatening text message he had received from a powerf...