FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS A TONY WINNER AND THE "LATE SHOW"'S
MELANIA TRUMP IN RESIDENCE, PLEASE WELCOME LAURA BENANTI!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
THANK YOU.
COME ON UP.
>> OH! IS THAT NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> Stephen: IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT IT WAS AROUND THIS
TIME A YEAR AGO, BECAUSE IT WAS THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IN
CLEVELAND THAT WE FIRST ASKED YOU IF YOU COULD COME ON HERE
AND DO A MELANIA TRUMP IMPRESSION.
>> HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE HAD YOU ON BEFORE AND NOTICED HOW MUCH YOU LOOKED LIKE THE
FIRST LADY.
>> HOW DARE YOU, YES.
>> Stephen: SHE'S A LOVELY PERSON.
A LOVELY PERSON.
WHAT DID WE CALL YOU IS THIS I SEEM TO REMEMBER YOU DID THIS ON
THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT.
>> YES, I WAS HERE PROMOTING SHE LOVES ME, AND THEN YOU MENTIONED
I LOOKED LIKE HER, AND I NEVER THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT IT.
>> Stephen: NEITHER DID WE.
AND THEN THE INFAMOUS PLAGIARIZED SPEECH HAPPENED.
>> Stephen: IT WAS REVEALED PARTS OF THE SPEECH WAS TAKEN
FROM MICHELLE OBAMA'S SPEECH.
>> AND I WAS IN DELAWARE CELEBRATING MY GRANDMA'S 92n
92nd BIRTHDAY.
SHE JUST TURNED 93.
( APPLAUSE ) THANK YOU.
AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS ASKED ME TO DO IT WITHOUT HAVING ANY
UNDERSTANDING OF WHETHER I COULD DO IT OR NOT.
YOU KNEW I COULD DO THE FACE, BUT NOBODY KNEW I COULD DO THE
ACCENT BECAUSE WE NEVER HEARD HER SPEAK.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE A BROADWAY STAR, BABY!
>> THAT'S TRUE!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT THAT
INDEFINABLE "IT"!
( LAUGHTER ) SO WHERE DID YOU WORK ON THE
IMPRESSION?
>> SO ON THE TRAIN, MY MOM AND SISTER DROVE ME TO WILMINGTON
DELAWARE.
( LAUGHTER ) THANK YOU, ONE PERSON.
SO I WAS ON THE TRAIN OBSESSIVELY WATCHING HER SPEECH
AND I WAS SITTING NEXT TO THIS GENTLEMAN WHAT LOOKED VERY
DISTURBED.
I KEPT ZOOMING IN ON HER MOUTH AND KEPT DOING IT AND SAYING,
LIKE, MY HUSBAND -- ( IN ACCENT) -- AND HE WAS
LOOKING AT ME LIKE, THIS WOMAN IS INSANE.
I THANK YOU FOR NOT CALLING THE POLICE, IF YOU'RE WATCHING.
I WAS NOT TRYING TO WEAR HER SKIN AS A SUIT.
( LAUGHTER ) IS THAT YOUR VOCAL IMPRESSION OF
THE FIRST LADY IS FASCINATING.
WHEN YOU DON'T TALK, YOU SMOLDER.
CAN I HAVE A HINT OF SMOLDER AT THE CAMERA?
>> SURE, SURE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( PIANO RIFF )
>> Stephen: I MEAN, WE'VE DONE HER SEVERAL TIMES ON THE SHOW,
LUCKILY FOR US, OVER THE PAST YEAR.
I SUPPOSE YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT HER AS A PERSON.
TO DO AN IMPRESSION YOU HAVE TO SORT OF SYMPATHIZE WITH A
PERSON. >> YEAH, SURE DO.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S YOUR IMPRESSION OF THE FIRST LADY
AFTER A YEAR?
>> I FEEL BASICALLY WE ARE ALL MELANIA TRUMP, WE ARE ALL
RELUCTANTLY MARRIED TO DONALD TRUMP.
>> Stephen: MAKING THE BEST OF IT.
>> YEAH, WE'RE MAKING THE BEST OF IT.
I FEEL LIKE AMERICA IS MELANIA.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: YOU CAN'T SPELL
AMERICA WITHOUT MELANIA.
>> THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW.
>> Stephen: NO WAY TO KNOW.
BUT I FEEL LIKE WE SPEAK MANY LANGUAGES, WE'RE CURVY, WE HAVE
A LOT IN COMMON WITH MELANIA.
SO I DO HAVE EMPATHY WITH HER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I'M, LIKE,
YOU ALSO CHOSE THAT.
>> Stephen: SO DID WE.
WE DID?
>> Stephen: WELL, THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: DO YOU EVER SLIP
INTO HER AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE.
YOU'RE OUT THERE AT STARBUCKS AND ORDER AS MELANIA?
>> NO.
I LIKE THE IDEA SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT STARBUCKS IS.
SHE'S, LIKE, WHAT, IS IT STAR AND BUCKS?
I LIKE BOTH THESE THINGS.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
HE BUILT HER HER OWN STARBUCKS IN HER BUNK WHERE ARE SHE LIVES.
SHE'S THE ONLY CUSTOMER.
HELLO, PHIL, I'LL HAVE THE USUAL.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOUR GRANDMOTHER
JUST TURNED 93.
YOU AND YOUR MOTHER DO CABARET SHOWS SOMETIMES.
YOUR MOTHER'S A SINGER.
>> SHE WAS AN ACTRESS.
WHEN I WAS ABOUT TWO YEARS OLD, SHE STOPPED ACTING.
I HAD A WONDERFUL NANNY FROM CUBA AND ONE YEAR I SAID, MOMMA,
YOU'RE HURTING MY FEELINGS -- CUBAN ACCENT -- AND MY MOTHER
SAID, I THINK I NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH MY DAUGHTER.
WE RECENTLY DID A CABARET SHOW AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME SHE'D
BEEN ON STAGE IN 34 YEARS.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: AMAZING.
YEAH.
>> Stephen: SO WHEN YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE HOUSE AND
YOUR MOM WOULD BRING OVER PEOPLE TO TRAIN SINGING, WERE YOU THERE
AS A LITTLE GIRL WATCHING?
>> YEAH, I WAS SITTING ON HER LAP AND SHE WOULD TELL STORIES
WHERE I WOULD BE ON HER LAP LISTENING AND I WOULD BE NO, NO.
>> Stephen: YOU HAD YOUR OWN PRIVATE "AMERICAN IDOL."
>> EXACTLY. YOU'RE CUT.
SHE WAS MY VOICE TEACH ARSE WELL.
SHE WAS SUPER PATIENT AN LOVING.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK WHAT IS IT LIKE TO HAVE YOUR MOM BE A VOICE
TEACHER.
THEY ASSUME IT WOULD BE A NIGHTMARE.
BUT MY MOM IS SUCH A LOVING, FUNNY, HILARIOUS PERSON.
>> Stephen: SHE MUST BE VERY GOOD BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE VOICE
OF AN ANGEL.
>> THANK YOU!
>> Stephen: LOVELY TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANK YOU.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> STEPHEN: LAURA BENANTI,
EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH TYLER THE CREATOR.
STICK AROUND!