--- title: Stephen Colbert Tears Into Ted Cruz's Dinner With Trump description: Stephen Colbert mocks Sen. Ted Cruz's dinner with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. canonical: https://time.com/4697973/stephen-colbert-ted-cruz-trump/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-10T16:07:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:41:47.698Z og:title: Stephen Colbert Had a Blast With Ted Cruz and Trump's Dinner og:description: "Please check spine at the door" og:url: https://time.com/4697973/stephen-colbert-ted-cruz-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d2eb0eea0c200f6/6988bd86bc6cfc7fc23e06f4/colbert1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Stephen Colbert Had a Blast With Ted Cruz and Trump's Dinner twitter:description: "Please check spine at the door" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5d2eb0eea0c200f6/6988bd86bc6cfc7fc23e06f4/colbert1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Please Check Spine at the Door.' Stephen Colbert Tears Into Ted Cruz's Dinner With Trump > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Mar 10, 2017 4:07 PM UTC  The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York, on Feb 15, 2017. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York, on Feb 15, 2017. Gail Schulman—CBS/Getty Images by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Mar 10, 2017 4:07 PM UTC Although Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and President Donald Trump spent months slinging insults [back and forth](http://time.com/4506350/donald-trump-ted-cruz-insults/) during some of the most bitter moments of the [2016 GOP primary](http://time.com/4696396/donald-trump-ted-cruz-marco-rubio/) campaign, the President and First Lady [hosted Cruz and his family](http://time.com/4686828/donald-trump-congress-address-reading-level/) for what Cruz said was a “principally a social dinner” on Wednesday. Stephen Colbert couldn’t help feasting on the history of the rivalry. Just as he satirized [Trump’s dinner with Mitt Romney before it](http://time.com/4587276/donald-trump-mitt-romney-dinner-stephen-colbert/), the host served up a large helping of jokes during the opening monologue on Thursday’s _The Late Show_. Colbert kicked off by cycling through a series of insults Cruz and Trump have traded, including the times Trump called him “lyin’ Ted” in tweets. Not to mention Trump’s baseless accusation that Cruz’s father helped assassinate John F. Kennedy and the speech where Cruz dubbed Trump a “pathological liar.” “I doubt Trump apologized for anything he said. It’s not his style,” Colbert said before reading off a mock formal invitation with great ceremony. “You and your wife — who’s a 3 at best — are invited to dinner,” he quipped, adding, “Please check spine at the door.” Watch the full clip below. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4697973/stephen-colbert-ted-cruz-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4697973/stephen-colbert-ted-cruz-trump/"},"headline":"'Please Check Spine at the Door.' 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