Comedian and writer Stephen Colbert shared his thoughts about Melania Trump on the May 9, 2025, episode of his talk show. He spoke about the new Pope, Robert Francis Prevost, and the cardinal’s comments.
However, he then went on to comment about the First Lady, saying she wasn’t seen on the balconies, which led to people asking about her whereabouts. Colbert added:
“Out of 108 days since Trump's inauguration, she spent fewer than 14 days at the White House. According to one historian, we haven't seen such a low profile First Lady since best Truman.”
Stephen Colbert added that, since Melania had been out of the spotlight, the president had taken on some of the traditional First Lady roles. He mentioned tasks like choosing lighting for the White House, updating the Rose Garden, welcoming visitors in the East Wing, organizing Women’s History Month events, and humorously noted that the president even slept in a different bedroom.
Colbert commented that the president explained to Kristen Welker from Meet the Press why Melania hadn’t been seen in public recently. A clip from the interview plays, in which Trump said:
“She is a very private person which I respect a lot.”
Stephen Colbert claimed that Melania claimed to be private, even though she had camera crews filming a $40 million documentary about her life. He then playfully compared himself to her, pretending to be shy and asking the camera to stop filming him.
What did Stephen Colbert say about Melania Trump 2.0?
In March 2025, the comedian discussed Melania Trump on his talk show, where he pointed out that the First Lady had been noticeably absent from major events like the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, and other important gatherings.
Despite staying out of the spotlight, she still found ways to benefit from her role by launching a cryptocurrency meme coin and selling a documentary about her life to Amazon for $40 million. Stephen Colbert said:
“It’s all part of a personal rebrand that is being dubbed Melania Trump 2.0 and includes this official White House portrait that was apparently taken at the exact moment before her soul was sucked into The Phantom Zone.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert also jokingly stated about the tradition of popes giving up their birth names, saying it worked out well in this case because the old name sounded like a medication. He highlighted how the new Pope, Leo, began his role with a warm greeting to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square, where he said:
"Peace be with you all."
The comedian also commented on the delay between the white smoke and the Pope’s first appearance, during which news outlets shifted focus from the chimney to the balcony.
Stephen Colbert poked fun at the fashion of the day, especially the many hats, and mentioned that although the Pope was selected on the third vote, there was an earlier moment of confusion when the smoke briefly appeared white before clearly turning black.