Back in early May, Stephen Colbert dropped a bomb.

No, not an F-bomb, and yes, the word he uttered was not only bleeped for viewers of The Late Show on CBS (and for subsequent watchers of the clip, which went viral), but the mouth he used to utter it was briefly blurred so no one could lip-read.

Still, it caused an uproar, with some viewers and media types getting their panties in a twist (or at least pretending to — more on that in a moment). And things escalated when the chairman of the FCC — the government hall monitor charged with penalizing “obscene, indecent, or profane” content on TV and radio — said that they were evaluating Colbert’s remark after receiving citizen complaints.

“We are going to apply the law as it’s been set out by the Supreme Court and other courts and we’ll take the appropriate action,” said FFC chairman (and weirdly proud owner of a giant Reeses coffee mug) Ajit Pai.

Oh, the word Colbert spoke? Cock.

But it wasn’t just the word that riled people up and got the feds involved. It was the accompanying joke, part of a stand-up bit in which Colbert riffed, blisteringly, on President Trump’s interview with John Dickerson of CBS’s Face the Nation, an interview cut short by Trump, but not before he insulted Dickerson’s Sunday morning show.

“The only thing your mouth is good for,” said Colbert, addressing Trump directly and having already couched the lacerating bite of his monologue as a reaction to Trump’s treatment of his CBS colleague, “is being Vladimir Putin’s cock holster.”

Cue the #FireColbert quick-trending hashtag.

Among conservative media reactions, the least convincing slams came from those accusing Colbert of homophobia — unconvincing because most of his accusers had previously been trash talkers of gay rights, “victim culture,” and “snowflake” sensitivity. The most lucid arguments on the right contended that Colbert risks losing stature as a critic of what he perceives as Trump’s coarsening of politics if he himself goes cock-joke low.

The Emmy-winning comedian’s response two days later?

“I would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be,” said this devout Catholic, Sunday school teacher, and father of three, after stating he didn’t regret the thrust of the remarks. Sarcasm followed: “Life is short, and anyone who expresses their love for another person, in their own way, is to me, an American hero.”

Will the 53-year-old tone it down? Doubtful. After a sluggish first year as late-night successor to David Letterman, Colbert has come into his own, his style a mix of quicksilver wit (of course), affable authenticity, and fearless political sting — and people are tuning in.

Not long after Trump was inaugurated, The Late Show dethroned Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show as late-night ratings leader. We expect a hot summer of the South Carolina-raised Colbert — in his monologues, at his desk, and speaking truth. Rave on, Dr. Colbert. Rave on.

Photo: Getty Images / CBS Photo Archive