Stephen Colbert and me: How late-night partisan comedy works – until it doesnt

Stephen Colbert and I go way back.

Ive interviewed him many times.

Ive been on his show, hes been on my show.

Whether or not you agree with his liberal crusading – and half the country cant stand it – his final show raised questions about political retribution, a splintered media universe and the crumbling future of late night itself. 

Putting aside the cosmic conclusions for a moment, I first interviewed Colbert when Comedy Central was giving “The Daily Show” correspondent an eight-week tryout as host of his own show, and he didnt know if it would last. He was congenial and about as quick-witted as any comedian Ive seen, possibly matched by Jon Stewart.

While playing a blowhard conservative anchor on “The Colbert Report,” he once took a mild swipe at me. I had reported, factually, on Fox that some Republicans and right-wing media figures were taking shots at Hillary Clintons age, 69, and arguing she had a double liability as potentially the first female president.

Colbert transformed that into MY declaring that Hillary was too old. That was flat-out wrong, but I know how these things go. 

So I made a great show of being offended and hit back with a sarcastic take: “Its about time someone took on Stephen Colbert. This guy – a fake anchor if ever there was one – has been maligning hard-working journalists for too long. Journalists like me… Well, two can play this game, buddy.” 

(Some of my critics took the shtick a tad too seriously.)

That didnt stop Colbert from inviting me as a guest when my book “Reality Show” was out. He was friendly and I had a good time. I guess I shouldnt have been shocked that most of my funny lines were edited out and most of his were kept in.

He was the big star. 

Colbert, 62, raised in South Carolina, is a practicing Catholic and former altar boy who has a form of vertigo and, during one taping, was rushed to the hospital with a ruptured appendix.  

Once leaving Comedy Central, he was signed by CBSs “Late Show” and landed in third place.

But after hiring producer Chris Licht from “Morning Joe,” Colbert went fully partisan and fervently . He once called Trump “the Antichrist” (adding that he was joking). He shot up to No. 1. 

That was a double-edged sword. Why deliberately alienate half his audience? It was like drinking a magic elixir that contained a slow-acting poison pill.  

Meanwhile, Colberts interviews with the likes of Barack Obama and Joe Biden were, shall we say, rather gentle.

The ratings were good enough that CBS suits tried to sign Stephen to a long-term contract.

But last year, Colbert accused the network of accepting “a big fat bribe.” He was referring to CBS paying $16 million to settle a long-shot Trump lawsuit over a deceptively edited “60 Minutes” segment.

This happened to take place as Paramount was waiting for the administrations approval for its attempted takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery – which, what a surprise, came through a week later.

Thats all it took. Paramount, owned by Trumps pals Larry and David Ellison, announced the “Late Show” was being canceled. Without so much as consulting with the networks biggest star or discussing ways to trim his 200-person staff.

Trump exclaimed that “I absolutely love” the move.

This was political retaliation, pure and simple. No one believes the “only for financial reasons” hogwash.

But CBS has turned the long goodbye into a national event, as Colbert has constantly slammed the network. What could the brass do when theyve already fired him? 

Celebrity guests in the final weeks have included Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg, Bruce Springsteen and founding host , who helped him throw furniture off the roof to smash the CBS eye logo. (I thought that was a bit cheesy given Colberts goal of an amicable parting.) 

Friendly rivals Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon agreed