Did Stephen Colbert announce he was opening a $10 million "paradise" for dogs and cats? No, that's not true: The story is completely made up. There is no evidence that Colbert has said that he will be spending $10 million to open a care center for stray pets. The article about the announcement is copy/paste clickbait and appears to generate spam and virus warnings on the website.
The claim appeared in a September 16, 2025 post on the Facebook account @CorgiLovers (archived here). It opened:
BREAKING GOOD NEWS: Stephen Colbert sets the internet ablaze with a heartwarming announcement, revealing plans to invest $10 million into building a "paradise" for stray dogs and cats. He pledges to rescue thousands of abandoned animals and give them the love, care, and forever homes they truly deserve! Colbert said with emotion: 'Every tail wag and every purr deserves a chance at love.'. Details below
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Image source: Facebook account @CorigLovers screenshot taken by Lead Stories.)
This is what the image used in the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Image source: Facebook account @CorigLovers screenshot taken by Lead Stories.)
The post shares a link to an article on the website NewNewspaper24h.com, but when the site is visited, users are redirected to viralstoryus.tin356.com, comprised of made-up clickbait stories that are fake versions of current events. The site is riddled with spam and pop ups and virus warnings for users.
Neither the post nor the article offer any proof that Colbert was opening the luxury rescue center for stray dogs and cats. Had he announced that he would be opening a $10 million "paradise" center for stray cats and dogs that would have been a legitimate news story. This archived version of the article claims Colbert made the announcement on The Tonight Show, with this quote:
With visible emotion during a surprise segment at the end of The Late Show, Colbert said, "I've made people laugh for a living, but now I want to make a difference for those who can't ask for help. This is for every lonely tail that wagged without a home, and every purr that never found a safe lap to curl up in."
A Google search using the quote found the same claim on Facebook but no actual news reports of Colbert making the announcement. Similarly, the Yahoo! News index of partner news sites and news services (archived here) showed versions of the same claim but no legitimate news reports that Colbert was opening a $10 million center for stray animals.
Lead Stories reached out to Colbert's representative and will update the story when they respond.
