(TJV NEWS)  A planned rally in New York City meant to defend Stephen Colbert and protest CBS’s decision to cancel The Late Show fizzled almost immediately—drawing barely 20 attendees before sputtering out.

The protest, dubbed “We’re With Colbert,” was held outside the CBS Broadcast Center on Manhattan’s West Side but failed to generate the kind of support its organizers likely hoped for. Speaking to the New York Post, the rally’s organizer—who identified himself only as “Matt”—framed the event as a defense of free speech, blaming former President Donald Trump for what he called an assault on the First Amendment.

“Our country has never been perfect,” Matt told the Post, “but at least we’ve always had the First Amendment. Now Mango Mussolini is trying to take that from us,” using a mocking nickname for Trump.

Only 20 showed up to support Stephen Colbert’s protest? The Guardian said dozens rallied for him just days ago! pic.twitter.com/Q72hXkvARY

— 𝐃𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐇 (@pr0ud_americans) July 28, 2025

This wasn’t the first show of support for the liberal talk show host. A few days earlier, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee organized a similar “Save Colbert” rally, which also drew just a few dozen demonstrators.

Social media users were quick to ridicule the meager turnout. Memes and sarcastic tweets poured in, mocking the low attendance as evidence of waning enthusiasm for the show and its host. “CBS may be forced to pay Stephen Colbert to resume his failing TV show after this MASSIVE sea of protesters showed up at the HQ,” one widely shared post quipped alongside a photo of the sparse crowd.

Others piled on:
“A whopping 20 people showed up to protest Stephen Colbert’s exodus of CBS. Where’s the National Guard?” wrote one user.

Another added, “Only 20 showed up to support Stephen Colbert’s protest? The Guardian said dozens rallied for him just days ago!”

CBS announced earlier this month that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will wrap up in May, ending nearly ten years of Colbert hosting the flagship late-night program. Network executives cited economic challenges and declining ad revenue as the driving reasons, noting major shifts in how audiences consume late-night content.

Still, Colbert and his allies have claimed politics played a role. He’s publicly questioned the timing of the cancellation, pointing to CBS’s recent $16 million settlement with Donald Trump over a lawsuit involving CBS News. The former president had accused the network of deceptively editing a 2024 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during the presidential campaign.

Colbert railed against the payout during a recent episode, calling it a “big, fat bribe.” His supporters believe the cancellation may have been a concession to Trump, even though CBS has insisted the decision was purely financial.