Stephen Colbert took his seat behind the “The Late Show” desk for an emotional final broadcast Thursday evening but, true to his famous satiric wit, managed to get in a last dig at CBS, which has drawn harsh backlash since it canceled the show in July.

Colbert spoke of his joy in hosting the show for so long. The show team refers to the production as “the joy machine,” Colbert said, explaining it must run like a machine. But he added, “If you choose to do it with joy, it doesn’t hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears.”.....

Trump cheered the show’s demise with a derogatory post on his social media platform Friday.

“Colbert is finally finished at CBS. Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after Colbert’s last broadcast wrapped. “He was like a dead person. You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk. Thank goodness he’s finally gone!”....

Colbert himself avoided mentioning Trump, but he didn’t ignore the opportunity to take a jab at CBS. Referring to the array of costly lawsuits filed by the copyright owners of the iconic “Peanuts” theme song, Colbert instructed his band to go ahead and play the tune.

“Oh no, I hope this doesn’t cost CBS any money!” Colbert exclaimed to his studio audience, which erupted in laughter......

Trump, who is notoriously sensitive to late-night criticism, has repeatedly attacked Colbert over his cutting sarcasm on the administration’s policies. Colbert has mocked Trump’s relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his justification for the Iran war and the Department of Justice’s $1.8 billion “slush fund,” to name a few.