Colbert Defends Gay Joke About Trump And Putin: "I Have Jokes; He Has The Launch Codes"

“The only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s cock holster,” Colbert said in his opening monologue.

The Late Show host was responding to Trump's interview with John Dickerson, who hosts Face the Nation — which also airs on CBS. Trump said during the interview that he liked to call the show "Deface the Nation."

Colbert said Dickerson "has way too much dignity to trade insults with a president of the United States," before adding that he, himself, did not. Colbert then went through a list of pun-y jokes that was capped off with the oral sex line about Trump and Putin.

In Wednesday's opening monologue, Colbert was to address the controversy, according to an advance transcript sent to BuzzFeed News.

In the transcript, Colbert does not apologize for the joke, but says, "I would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be," adding that "anyone who expresses their love for another person, in their own way, is to me, an American hero."

The transcript reads: "Welcome to The Late Show. I’m your host, Stephen Colbert.

Still? I am still the host?

I’m still the host!!

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. 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."