Stephen Colbert scolded him for saying he was willing to pay more for gas

Stephen Colbert has been roasted on social media for saying he would be willing to pay more for gas because he can afford an all-electric Tesla.

The CBS “Late Show” host delivered a monologue Monday urging Americans to put up with higher pas rates as energy costs soar due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Oil prices have skyrocketed since the invasion,” Colbert said on his show.

“Today, the average price of gasoline in America hit an all-time high of over $4 a gallon. Okay, it hurts, but a clear conscience is worth a buck or two,” said Colbert, whose contract with CBS earns him an annual salary of $15 million a year.

“I’m willing to pay. I’m willing to pay $4 a gallon. Heck, I’m paying $15 a gallon for driving a Tesla.”

The comedian then joked that the US refused to buy Russian oil and instead turned to “the good guys, Saudi Arabia.”

“Take this Putin! We will not buy our gas from a war criminal,” Colbert said. “We’ll buy it from the good guys, Saudi Arabia!”

Colbert, whose net worth was estimated at $75 million, was slammed for not interacting with ordinary Americans who are bearing the expense of higher gas prices.

“’I don’t mind paying $15 a gallon because I drive a Tesla’ is a joke until you realize it really defines the disconnect between the celebrity mentality and the people who drive a car every day commuting to work costs less than $50,000,” wrote one Twitter user.

Another Twitter user wrote, “Most of his audience probably takes home less per year than they paid for their Tesla.”

But others sympathized with Colbert’s joke. One Twitter user wrote: “I will happily pay more for gas to stop Putin’s insane quest to kill innocent people, take their homes and bomb them as they try to leave their country!”

West Texas Intermediate Crude, the US price benchmark, traded above $122 a barrel this week after Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other US officials said an import ban was being considered. Prices have already risen to their highest level since 2008.

President Biden on Tuesday announced a ban on Russian energy imports after a bipartisan coalition in Congress threatened to force his hand in punishing Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This is a step we are taking to inflict further pain on Putin, but there will also be costs here in the United States,” Biden warned as U.S. gas prices hit an all-time high $4.17 per gallon on average.