Stephen Colbert responds to 'homophobic' Donald Trump joke backlash: 'I would do it again'

'I have jokes, he has the launch codes. So, it's a fair fight'

US late night host Stephen Colbert has responded to the backlash he received following a Donald Trump joke that many viewers deemed 'homophobic.'

The Late Show host became the subject of the Twitter hashtag #FireColbert after stating that the only thing Trump's "mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s c**k holster" in his opening monologue - something Colbert addressed the following evening (3 May).

He started the show by saying: “Welcome to The Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. Still? I am still the host? I'm still the host!”

Colbert had gone off on Trump over the President's treatment of CBS News' John Dickerson, when he questioned his unproven claims that he had been wiretapped by Obama.

He continued: “Now, if you saw my monologue Monday, you know that I was a little upset at Donald Trump for insulting a friend of mine. 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.

“So while I would do it again, I would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be," Colbert capped. "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.”