After months of buildup, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert premiered Tuesday night on CBS, with guest stars George Clooney and Jeb Bush.
The monologue opened with Stephen harmonizing on the Star Spangled Banner with citizens all over the US (Jon Stewart makes a cameo!), CBS chief, Les Moonves in the audience, ready to push a button that would switch the show back to The Mentalist (which happened, hilariously) and an inspired bit that involved Oreos and Donald Trump.
In a cute bit that involved an on set DVR, rival Jimmy Fallon congratulated Stephen from his Tonight Show set. The two chatted amiably about their guests for the night. “See ya later in the locker room,” Stephen joked. We’ve come a long way from the days of the David Letterman/Jay Leno rivalry. Speaking of which, Stephen gave a nod to Letterman, reminding the audience that “The comedy landscape is…thickly painted with the forest of Dave’s ideas.”
George dropped by without a movie to promote, so he spoofed one instead, called Decision Strike and Stephen handed over a belated wedding present to the star.
Stephen kept things light with republican candidate Jeb Bush. During the interview, the host pointed out his brother in the audience, noting that he loved him very much, although they differ politically. That admission segued into a question asking Jeb to describe where his politics split from his brother, former President, George W. Bush. Clever. Stephen also spent a considerable amount of time making fun of Bush’s campaign slogan.
Watch this space. I’ll be posting more videos. The Trump bit, which had Stephen gorging on Oreos as a metaphor for how the press just can’t stop covering the republican candidate was perfect. The show ended with a massive sing along on Sly and the Family Stone’s song “Everyday People” that included Mavis Staples and several musical luminaries. The CBS site will probably post that stuff in the morning, so stay tuned.
UPDATE: It’s the “All You Can Trump” buffet!
