Comedian Stephen Colbert had an awkward moment Tuesday night when his audience cheered the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey.

President Trump stunned the political world this week by dismissing Mr. Comey and citing a Department of Justice recommendation that he was unable “to effectively lead the bureau.” The CBS “Late Show” audience — no doubt familiar with Mr. Comey’s handling the agency’s investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s secret email server — cheered, but then quickly changed their tune with a scolding by Mr Colbert.

“Oh. Wow. Huge, huge Donald Trump fans here tonight!” Mr. Colbert said. “That shows no gratitude at all. I mean, did Trump forget about the Hillary emails that Comey talked about? I mean, ‘Thanks for the presidency, Jimmy. Now don’t let the door hit you where the electoral college split ya.’”

The audience picked up on the comedian’s desired response and then booed at the first opportunity.

“I’m shocked. My heart is thumping. My pulse is racing,” Mr. Colbert said. “He fired the FBI director, who has said under oath that he’s investigating the Trump campaign’s ties with Russia. No rationale has been given yet as to why, but it came on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.”

The sudden attitude shift was noticed by websites like the Blaze and users on social media platforms like Twitter.

“If you want to know why the Democrats must control the narrative, look no further than Colbert’s unpreparedness w/ audience Comey firing,” responded a Twitter user named Ali.

“I like how the sheep in Colbert’s audience cheered at Comey’s firing. They’re playing catch up to the narrative,” added Heat Streets’s Ian Miles Cheong.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer told reporters on Tuesday that he spoke to the president and said firing Mr. Comey was a “very big mistake.”

Mr. Trump’s decision came one day after a Senate panel discussed the vetting process of former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates told the lawmakers that White House officials knew on Jan. 26 that Mr. Flynn had not been forthcoming regarding his discussions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak.

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