People have started a 'fire Colbert' movement because of his 'homophobic' Trump insult
While some outraged viewers are calling for Colbert's termination over a comment about President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that they view as homophobic, conservatives appear to simply want him gone for his politics and frequent, sharp criticism of Trump.
Colbert made the controversial insult during Monday's passionate "Late Show" monologue, which went viral online. In it, he stood up for CBS News colleague John Dickerson, whose interview with Trump was cut short by the president, who was being repeatedly questioned about his wiretap allegations against former President Barack Obama.
"Sir, you attract more skinheads than free Rogaine," Colbert said during the rant. "You have more people marching against you than cancer. You talk like a sign-language gorilla that got hit in the head. In fact, the only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin's c--k holster."
The last, sexually charged barb seems to be the one for which Colbert is taking the heat.
A barrage of tweets calling for Colbert's firing from the late-night show went out in response to the comments, many using the hashtag "#FireColbert."
While many are calling for Colbert's termination out of outrage over one joke being seen as homophobic, it's difficult to discern whether they're written by people concerned with LGBTQ rights or Trump supporters who are more concerned about partisan politics - many of whom claim to have never even watched his show.
Colbert hasn't tweeted since Monday. Representatives for Colbert and the "Late Show" didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.