- I have been such a fan of this gentleman
for so many years.
Please welcome the host of
"A Late Show with Stephen Colbert," the Stephen Colbert.
(crowd applauding)
- Drew, hello, how do you have an audience?
I don't understand, I'm so jealous that you actually have
people clapping and applauding.
What's going on?
- Well, it's funny that you should ask, actually.
It's our crew and you wanna say hi to Stephen?
(crowd applauding)
- Would you like to hear my crew?
(man whooping)
I got two old guys in here.
(Drew laughing)
- Well, I wish you could be here on this set with us.
- It looks fantastic.
You're bathed in golden light.
I love your background.
I saw a wide shot, while I was waiting to come on the show,
I saw a wide shot.
I love your background, it's very like
very high Hollywood, TV, 1970s.
It's very Merv, it's very Johnny, I love it.
- I mean, listen, take a look at this.
I wanted to show you a little groovy shot over here.
There you go.
- I like it already, that's nice.
- 'Cause six Stephen Colberts isn't enough.
(crowd laughing)
- Can I ask a question? - Yah.
- Do you mind if I ask a question?
Are you making papier-mache,
why do you have so many newspapers in front of you?
You look like the mother of a third-grader
about to make a pinata.
(Drew laughing)
- And it's true, we could.
Because I just figured, I think it's, in some contexts
I always wonder why is there nothing on that desk?
Because my desk at home is a complete,
you-know-what show, and it's--
- Ah?
Of all the detritus and things that I--
- I don't actually know what, Drew, I don't know what.
- See, you have something on your desk.
I mean, most desks are-- - I have a bone.
I have a bone with my name carved in it.
This was a bone that I found in my brother's yard
when I was a child.
It's a cow bone, I'll have you know.
Before anybody sends forensics.
I have a cup, I have my phone, and I have this.
What is this?
It's a leather coaster. (Drew laughing)
That's it. - I love the way that
you have religion in your show, because it shows that it's
a part of who you are and it's in the stained glass.
And the essence of it is all around.
But, like most things,
you don't seem to press it upon people.
- No. - There is a statement.
You are making a truth, you are telling without saying,
"This has to be your truth."
Am I correct in that? - Yeah, sure, sure.
I mean, I don't purposely include anything in the show.
I just talk about the things I know and I care about.
And obviously also my writers,
and my staff, and my producers.
But yeah, no, I don't want anybody to be like me.
I don't always want me to be like me,
so I wouldn't wanna press that on somebody else.
- Well, that's a good segue, if you will.
- That's what I do, Drew.
- Ah, I love a good segue.
What persona, character is the most like you
in real life?
Is it Colbert, is it the man who is hosting
the late night show?
- I guess, no, this is me, the old guy was kind of like
a confession of my insecurities and also my sort of,
I don't know, appetites anybody may have if they just
gave into their ego completely.
If they just gave into every indulgence,
like I have to be the most important person.
I have to be the thing that everything's about,
I can never be wrong, you have to love me.
All of those things are always kind of nagging at,
at least my mind.
That's sort of like, it's like a confession of weakness,
the old character.
All these indulgences of selfishness that your psyche
is always asking you to give into.
And the great thing about the old show
is that I could piggyback on his desires and his ego
and pretend they weren't my own,
but really it was just a mask you could wear to confess.
And I think people maybe recognized that in themselves.
And maybe that's why they didn't consider him a,
I can't use the word on daytime,
but it's not a nice part of your body.
(Drew laughing)
- It's a Chris Evans. (both laughing)
- Yeah, poor Chris Evans, poor Chris Evans.
So handsome and fit, I feel so sorry for him.
(Drew laughing)
- Do you miss that?
And-- - Nope, not at all.
I don't miss that at all.
I like being me, I like being me.
This is so much better.
A, the old show, I didn't have
the greatest band in television, Jon Batiste and Stay Human.
The old show, I couldn't actually,
sometimes you just gotta come around, even the little mask
that you wear as the persona of a host, and come around
and just speak directly to the audience.
Especially when things are particularly dark.
Like they are right now.
The brightest thing or the way to fight against
the darkness is to actually just to speak honestly
about it and try to make a human connection.
'Cause that's really mostly what I just wanna do,
is just have some sort of sense of community
with my audience. (upbeat music)