As Pride Month comes to an end, Stephen Colbert took some time in his monologue during Wednesday’s “The Late Show” to mock companies who have ceased outreach to the LGBTQ community since Donald Trump was elected.
And he singled out Target, the big box retailer once known for widespread diversity efforts it abandoned after Trump was reelected. (A decision that severely damaged the brand and is also costing the company millions.) The retailer used to prominently sell queer-branded clothing, but this year is selling merch that critics mocked as “Cowardcore,” an insult Colbert picked up during his monologue.
“Pride is both a celebration and a protest, and in the last few years, Pride marches have become really big business, raking in millions of dollars for their host cities. And when corporations heard all those Cha Changs, they jumped in with McDonald’s parade floats and Marvel-branded merch and even advertising tie-ins, like in 2022 when Burger King introduced a pride Whopper with two equal buns, either two top buns or two bottom buns,” Colbert said. “But ever since Donald Trump started viciously attacking the LGBTQ community, those same companies have now gone silent.”
“Corporate sponsors are now pulling back their pride support, because, as one corporate insider said, ‘they never know if, day to day, they’ll be targeted.’ Wow, not knowing if you’ll be targeted must be so hard for those companies, I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for them to come out to their parents as companies,” Colbert said with heavy sarcasm.
“Some corporations are trying to fly under Trump’s radar with toned down pride merch, a fashion trend some are calling “cowardcore.” Some of these pride-shy products can be found at Target,” Colbert said, at which point he showed viewers an “oatmeal colored hoodie with nothing about pride on it, except the drawstrings that read ‘out loud and proud,’ that is so subtle that you’re less likely to think the person is gay than you are to assume that they are oatmeal.”
“Target is also selling this pride tank Top,” Colbert continued, showing the nondescript item that only has a “teeny little rainbow” on it. “Wow, that seems weird, but, you know, it’s actually quite useful if you’re still trying to figure it out, you know? Huh, what do I think here? Gay, not gay, not gay. Gay, not gay. Bi?”
“I say, if you’re going to be this nervous about supporting the LGBTQ community, why not just sell a plain black t shirt no rainbows, no fun slogans, just someone at the factory whispers the word ‘lesbian’ into,” Colbert added.
Watch the monologue below:
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