Prince Harry’s Trump Joke Backfires On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Prince Harry made a surprise appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but the studio audience didn’t take too well to his joke about kings. As the prince continues to delve into uncharted territory after leaving the Royal Family, Harry and Meghan make a living through various business ventures like their Netflix deal, which they renewed over the summer.

The Suits alum recently released a holiday special for her divisive series With Love, Meghan on the streaming platform.

During the December 3 episode of the Late Show, Prince Harry stunned Colbert’s audience by showing up to take part in a comedy bit about Christmas movies. After the late-night host questioned why the famous ginger was at the Ed Sullivan Theater, Harry admitted he thought he was showing up to “audition for The Gingerbread Prince Saves Christmas in Nebraska.”

Colbert wondered why Harry would want to star in a Christmas movie, which led the prince to acknowledge that Americans are obsessed with both Christmas movies and royalty, so he didn’t see the harm in auditioning.

Then Harry delivered a line that got the studio audience riled up. Colbert shot back to claim that Americans are not obsessed with royalty, but Harry replied, “Really? I heard you elected a king,” referring to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential election win. Members of the audience loudly booed that assertion.

That’s when the late-night host called Harry’s claim a “fair point” before labeling the prince’s ancestor King George III a “jerk.”

After the tense moment ended, the comedy bit continued, with Harry saying he’s determined to land a role in a Hallmark Christmas movie. He said he’s got skills, like riding horses and flying helicopters, but Colbert didn’t think any of those would help him during an audition.

Harry then felt dejected but was still able to jab CBS’s parent company Paramount over its settlement with Trump, which got the audience back on his side with loud cheers.

The scripted bit ended with Colbert and Harry putting their hands all over each other after the latter said, “Isn’t there a prince standing in front of you right now?“

The talk show host announced that Harry had landed the role in the Christmas movie and that all of this was just a test to see if he could handle the responsibilities.

Colbert has made fun of Trump for many years on the Late Show, which was canceled for financial reasons, according to Paramount, though critics have accused the media company of playing politics and siding with Trump.

Despite this turmoil, Colbert hasn’t let up in his criticism of the 79-year-old. With the Late Show ending in May 2026, he has nothing to lose now. He’ll be leaving while still at the top of his game, since Colbert’s Late Show is one of the highest-rated late-night talk shows on air right now.

As for Harry, the prince and wife Meghan have been criticized at times by Trump. Considering Trump constantly lashes out at the late-night hosts, it wouldn’t be surprising if he directed his fury at Harry after this comedy bit with Colbert.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. EST on CBS.