Obama's Witty Reply To Colbert's White House Query

by Megan LiscombBuzzFeedSenior EditorAs a Senior Editor at BuzzFeed, I cover stories about health, home, politics, and relationships, with a special focus on work and money.

As you probably know, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been canceled by CBS and won't be continuing after the current season ends on May 21.

Cbs Photo Archive / Getty Images

Though the network stated that the cancellation was "purely a financial decision," critics of the move think it was politically motivated.

Cbs Photo Archive / Getty Images

Well, on Tuesday night, Stephen interviewed former president Barack Obama on the show and asked about his chances at jumping from TV host to a totally different gig, and his response has the internet laughing at Obama's wit (and crying over how much they miss him).

Pool / Getty Images

Stephen started the exchange by saying, "I'm looking for a new gig soon, and a lot of people tell me I should run for president."

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

Barack quickly replied, "Well, you certainly have the look."

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

Stephen said, "For the record, I think it's a stupid idea. How dumb do you think it is for people to say that I should run for president?"

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

"Well," Barack paused for a moment to find the exact right words, and the audience laughed.

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

"You know, the bar has changed," he concluded, laughing.

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

"That is true. At times, subterranean. I don't have to limbo so low?" Stephen asked.

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

Barack replied, "I'll put it this way. I think that you could perform significantly better than some folks that we've seen."

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

Stephen quickly jumped in with, "Is that an endorsement?"

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

And Barack laughingly replied, "It was not."

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

You can watch the clip here:

> COLBERT: How dumb do you think it is for people to say that I should run for president?

OBAMA: Well, you know, the bar has changed. I think you would perform significantly better than some folks we've seen.

COLBERT: Is that an endorsement?

OBAMA: It was not pic.twitter.com/ffBQOvbvRT

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 6, 2026

CBS / Via Twitter: @atrupar

Online, people are libbing out over this moment.

ninastarner / Via x.com

As one person put it, "Even the shade is presidential."

ladidaix / Via x.com

And many are praising the former president's comedic timing.

BLKChiSNKRMan / Via x.com

Speaking of his timing, I recently revisited Barack's appearance on Between Two Ferns after I finished streaming This Is a Gardening Show, and he really is so good at this.

Others were struck by the contrast between Barack's wit and intelligence and a certain other president.

SayidMet / Via x.com

One person tweeted, "Can you imagine Trump doing this interview? It would immediately be all about him and how he’s the greatest president in history, blah, blah, blah. Damn I miss Obama."

BogusSurfdog / Via x.com

And frankly, I fear that the bar for presidential behavior is now so low that it may be in hell.

EthanCole00 / Via x.com

Elsewhere in the interview, Barack gave some more pointed criticisms of the current president, saying, "The White House shouldn't be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants to prosecute. The norm is — the idea is that the attorney general is the people's lawyer. It's not the president's consiglieri."

Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images

You can watch the full interview here.

Do you miss the Obama era? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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