Footage captured by Freedom News TV showed the crowd outside the studio chanting "Trump must go, Colbert stays." One woman held up an "8647" sign, a phrase that saw former FBI Director James Comey interviewed by Secret Service after posting the message to social media.
The "speak-out" event was hosted by the group "Refuse Fascism," which had the crowd repeat chants about fighting fascism and "driving this regime from power."
"We must not let this spread a chill throughout the arts and media to watch what you say and bite your tongue. Instead, we must refuse to be silent and intimidated. Appeasement is collaboration."
It was announced on Thursday that the show would be coming to an end. Colbert said in a taped interview, "Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending our show in May,” he added. “It’s the end of The Late Show on CBS… This is all just going away."
A report revealed that the program has been losing between $40 and $50 million per year. The network said that the decision to cancel the show was "purely a financial decision."
