The Late Show host Stephen Colbert has said that President Donald Trump is so desperate to prove he’s still popular that he’s had to dig up ratings for The Apprentice from 22 years ago.
On Wednesday’s (April 22) edition of The Late Show, Colbert touched on reports that Trump “wants out of the increasingly unpopular war” with Iran, noting how “two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war with Iran.”
With the president’s approval ratings dropping to just 32%, Colbert said, “In response to his sinking poll numbers, today Trump posted a New York Times article praising The Apprentice’s ratings from April… of 2004.”
The late-night host was referencing a Truth Social post, in which Trump shared screenshots from a 2004 New York Times article about the ratings for the inaugural season of the NBC reality show. The president followed up with another post from the same article, highlighting how The Apprentice was the No. 1 new show and how roughly 41.5 million tuned in at some point for the season finale.
Last Season of my Apprentice Juggernaut!
(TS: 22 Apr 11:36 ET) pic.twitter.com/QyK3XXjuRK
— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) April 22, 2026
“Always a tip off that life isn’t going great for you when you start to brag about something from 22 years ago,” Colbert quipped. “You kids think dad’s a loser? Well, I’ll have you know that back in high school, I once won two free tickets to see the Spin Doctors in Anaheim at the Grove.”
Elsewhere in his monologue, Colbert worried the war with Iran wouldn’t be over before The Late Show comes to an end in May. “You know what? I’m beginning to think this war might not be over by Memorial Day,” the comedian said. “Which reminds me, hold on one second.”
He then grabbed a box and wrote on it, “FedEx to ABC, care of Jim E. Kimmel, Hollywood…” Colbert then pulled the box back, revealing it was labeled “Iran War Jokes.”
“Enjoy, buddy,” Colbert added. “It’s coming to ya!”
You can watch Colbert’s full opening monologue in the video above and let us know your thoughts below.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, CBS
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