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Sunny Hostin is catching serious heat online following her dramatic reaction to Stephen Colbert’s firing, comments that some critics are calling “brainless” and “embarrassing.” During Tuesday’s episode of The View, Hostin weighed in on the controversy surrounding Colbert’s reported exit from The Late Show, claiming the decision could be politically motivated and dangerous to American democracy.
“It could be financial, and I don’t know, it’s purely political. It could be,” she said. “But my concern is if it is political, then everyone should be concerned. People on the right should be concerned. People on the left should be concerned.”
She went even further, calling it a potential attack on the First Amendment, “Because it’s very clear that if it is political, this is the dismantling of our democracy… The First Amendment is the First Amendment for a reason.”
Social Media Erupts After Sunny Hostin’s Comments
The clip quickly went viral, with critics slamming Hostin for what they see as an over-the-top and misinformed take. One viral tweet went as follows, “Everyday (poop emoji) 4 brains #SunnyHostin proves just how brainless she is. Sunny Hostin claims the firing of #Colbert is ‘the dismantling of our #democracy.’ This is the dismantling of our #Constitution.”
Some critics dismissed the idea that Colbert’s firing had anything to do with censorship, saying he was simply canceled because people stopped watching. “No one is shutting Colbert down but Colbert,” one user wrote. “Canceling shows has happened for a long time. You suck? You’re gone.”
Stephen Colbert’s Show Gets Canceled
Colbert revealed last week on air that CBS would be axing The Late Show franchise in May 2026, with the network publicly citing financial reasons for the decision. However, the announcement came just days after Colbert criticized a $16 million settlement that CBS’s parent company, Paramount, had reached with the Trump administration. During his monologue, Colbert pointed out that Paramount’s pending sale to Skydance Media requires approval from the Trump administration, calling the timing of the settlement suspicious. “The technical name in legal circles for this kind of deal,” Colbert quipped, “is big fat bribe.”
The proximity of Colbert’s on-air takedown of the deal to the cancellation news has fueled speculation about whether the move was truly financial or if there were political strings attached.
