The 'Late Show' host defended his jokes, but admitted he used 'a few words that were cruder than they needed to be.'
Stephen Colbert isn't backing down from his controversial attack against President Donald Trump during his Late Show monologue on Monday, despite a "#FireColbert" Twitter campaign that was launched in response.
"Welcome to The Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. Still? I am still the host? I'm still the host!" Colbert said at the start of his show on Wednesday.
The outspoken talk show host became the focus of backlash this week after skewering Trump with a serious of brutal insults in response to the president mocking CBS' John Dickerson during his Face the Nation interview over the weekend.
Colbert fired off a bevy of insults at the president during the controversial monologue, however the joke Trump supporters took particular issue with was when he quipped that "the only thing [Trump's] mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin's c**k holster."
Many critics said the joke crossed the line, and was possibly homophobic.
During Wednesday's show, Colbert addressed the backlash and the criticism, but did not offer an apology.
"If you saw my monologue Monday, you know that I was a little upset at Donald Trump for insulting a friend of mine," Colbert said, referring to Dickerson. "So at the end of that monologue, I had a few choice insults for the president in return. I don't regret that. He, I believe, can take care of himself. I have jokes, he has the launch codes. So, it's a fair fight."
However the host admitted that he would change his choice of words if he had the chance to go back, and rejected critics' assertions that he is homophobic.
"While I would do it again, I would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be," Colbert said. "I’m not going to repeat the phrase, but I just want to say for the record, life is short, and anyone who expresses their love for another person, in their own way, is to me, an American hero. I think we can all agree on that. I hope even the president and I can agree on that. Nothing else. But, that."
Colbert has been openly critical of Trump throughout his presidential campaign and his time in office.
The host got particularly emotional the night after Trump was elected, sharing in his somber monologue, "There's no way around it. This is what it feels like when America's made great again. I was really hoping it would feel better, because this sucks." Check out the video below to hear more.