He looked the other way when intrepid journalists revealed Big Tech significantly suppressed speech, courtesy of the Twitter Files. He tut-tutted the rise of Cancel Culture and its insidious impact on comedy.

He chortled when the woke mob canceled books by beloved author Dr. Seuss.

Now, suddenly, Colbert is using his CBS pulpit to defend speech. What changed?

Politics.

The pro-Palestinian protests raging across campuses all hail from the Left. They’ve destroyed property, prevented students from attending class, threatened Jewish students and echoed terrorist talking points.

All of the above coaxed Colbert to rise to their defense.