Piers Morgan has taken a shot at America’s five biggest late-night hosts after they shared a photo of themselves during Stephen Colbert’s farewell tour.
The group – who call themselves ‘Strike Force Five’ – includes Colbert, Late Night host Seth Meyers, Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver, Live! host Jimmy Kimmel and The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon.
They formed in 2023 during a writers’ strike, and the group reunited on Monday’s episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
To celebrate the final time the group would crack jokes and hug it out at Colbert’s desk, they shared a photo commemorating the moment, smiling side-by-side.
Morgan took a blistering jab at the five hosts in a post on X: ‘Great to see America’s last-night TV hosts come together yesterday as a shining example of the DEI they love preaching about.’
Durng the show, Colbert introduced his fellow late-night hosts as ‘four of my best television friends.’
The crew all sat on the couch, where Kimmel took a walk down memory lane and explained how the group began.
‘Strike Force Five is and always will be a group of five individuals who went on strike along with their writers, who were paying their writers,’ Kimmel said.
The ‘Strike Force Five’ shared a photo together after they reunited for one of Stephen Colbert’s final late-night shows on Monday
In response, Morgan wrote: ‘Great to see America’s last-night TV hosts come together yesterday as a shining example of the DEI they love preaching about’
Colbert’s last show is on May 21, following nearly 11 years on air
‘So we did a podcast that paid a tiny portion of that. We did 12 episodes,’ he added, before Colbert chimed in to say they would do an ’emergency’ episode right after the show.
During the segment, Colbert addressed the future of late-night TV and asked his four fellow hosts to make their case for how it may survive in a challenging time.
‘Look at the figures. The fact of the matter is, more people are watching late-night television now than, and I know everybody gets crazy, when Johnny Carson was on,’ Kimmel responded.
Kimmel pointed to the so-called power structure, specifically referencing when ABC parent company Walt Disney took him off air in 2025 over comments about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
He said the audience was so angered by the decision that ‘people canceled Disney+’ in protest, ultimately resulting in his reinstatement.
‘Why aren’t you people canceling Paramount+? Because you didn’t have it in the first place?’ he said, joking about why fans weren’t canceling their subscriptions to protest Colbert’s cancellation.
Fallon chimed in, adding: ‘Late night is one of those things that has been around our whole lives. It’s part of our lives. People want to go to sleep having a good laugh, and go to bed happy.’
Kimmel explained how the group’s involvement in the 2023 Writers Guild of America turned into the name Strike Force Five
Colbert introduced his fellow late-night hosts as ‘four of my best television friends and co-hosts of the awards-ignored podcast’
All the hosts reflected on their clashes with the President.
Just last month, First Lady Melania Trump criticized Kimmel after he jokingly called her an ‘expectant widow’ on air.
‘Most of us have avoided that part,’ Meyers told Kimmel, before Oliver said it’s ‘amazing to get a group text saying “Oh boy,” and then a picture of Melania mad at him.’
Meyers added that Trump is one of the few still watching late-night shows live before criticizing them on social media.
‘I appreciate that he is watching linear television,’ he said. ‘If I would make my case for late night, it’s that leaders of the free world are watching it when it airs.’
The episode ended with the hosts sharing a confession, in which Colbert admitted, ‘Jane Fonda and I did not make out, but she stuck her tongue in my ear.’
Last week, Colbert’s prolonged sendoff grew even more over-the-top, with some on-stage shots and a full-on wrestling match.
The late-night antics occurred during a guest spot from John Krasinski, in which Colbert looked visibly care-free as he whipped out a bottle of bourbon and began to drink.
Defending the future of late-night TV, Fallon said: ‘Late night is one of those things that has been around our whole lives. It’s part of our lives’
All the hosts reflected on their clashes with the President of the United States, admitting they never thought they would draw Trump’s attention
Seth Meyers declared that Trump is one of the few still watching late-night shows live before criticizing them on social media
‘I have a bar back here,’ Colbert said as he did, motioning to his desk. The men went on to take three swigs apiece. ‘I have no idea where we are in this interview, and I do not care!’ he added.
Eventually, Colbert asked Krasinski if he wanted ‘to leg wrestle.’ Krasinski, a friend of the comic’s, at first abstained, but after a second challenge, he reluctantly agreed.
Colbert then explained how the playground contest works: Two parties lay side-by-side with their heads in opposite directions and try to flip the other over using only one leg, he said.
A visibly more versed Colbert quickly won, despite slurring his words. The interview ended there, and the screen faded to black.
Colbert openly criticized Paramount days before the network announced the show would be renewed come May, back in July after the company reached a $16million settlement with Trump for what many viewed as a baseless lawsuit.
He quickly called the move ‘a big fat bribe’, pointing out how a long-in-limbo merger between Paramount and Skydance was solidified by the federal government within days of the settlement.
The host, just days later, received word that his show was being cancelled. The reason given by showrunners was declining ad revenue.
The multibillion-dollar merger was approved by the FCC shortly thereafter, fueling a steady stream of attacks from Colbert since.
At the end of the episode, Colbert admitted, ‘Jane Fonda and I did not make out, but she stuck her tongue in my ear’
Last week, during a guest spot from John Krasinski, Colbert asked if he wanted ‘to leg wrestle,’ after he drank some bourbon on air
Colbert’s next project will be an unspecified work set in the universe of Lord of the Rings
Meanwhile, both Paramount and CBS have continued to say the decision was made for financial reasons.
The Late Show – started by Letterman in 1993 – is now set to be replaced by Comics Unleashed, a long-syndicated comedy panel show hosted by billionaire Byron Allen.
Colbert’s next project will be an unspecified work set in the universe of Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson has been tapped as a producer.
