When Rehearsal Becomes The Show: Stephen Colbert's First-Ever No-Audience Late Show Monologue
For the first time ever, Stephen Colbert hosted The Late Show without an audience after New York City ordered its Broadway theaters to go dark in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus. #Colbert #Monologue #Coronavirus
Subscribe To "The Late Show" Channel HERE: bit.ly/ColbertKZhead
For more content from "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert", click HERE: bit.ly/1AKISnR
Watch full episodes of "The Late Show" HERE: bit.ly/1Puei40
Like "The Late Show" on Facebook HERE: on.fb.me/1df139Y
Follow "The Late Show" on Twitter HERE: bit.ly/1dMzZzG
Follow "The Late Show" on Google+ HERE: bit.ly/1JlGgzw
Follow "The Late Show" on Instagram HERE: bit.ly/29wfREj
Follow "The Late Show" on Tumblr HERE: bit.ly/29DVvtR
Watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert weeknights at 11:35 PM ET/10:35 PM CT. Only on CBS.
Get the CBS app for iPhone & iPad! Click HERE:
Get new episodes of shows you love across devices the next day, stream live TV, and watch full seasons of CBS fan favorites anytime, anywhere with CBS All Access. Try it free! bit.ly/1OQA29B
---
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is the premier late night talk show on CBS, airing at 11:35pm EST, streaming online via CBS All Access, and delivered to the International Space Station on a USB drive taped to a weather balloon. Every night, viewers can expect: Comedy, humor, funny moments, witty interviews, celebrities, famous people, movie stars, bits, humorous celebrities doing bits, funny celebs, big group photos of every star from Hollywood, even the reclusive ones, plus also jokes.
This feels like it was taped after Thanos snapped
Give this man your likes
Take my like. You earned it, that's exactly what it looks like.
If Thanos snapped, the entire block would be empty
Colin yep
True
This feels like what would happen if Stephen and his staff were the only survivors of the apocalypse and this is what they did to cope
Yeah he wakes up from his bunker every weekday and combs his hair for an empty audience lmaooo
Such vivid imagery😂😂😂
The Ed Sullivan Theater is the new Winchester.
Hahaha! Exactly
haha
You know this year is crazy when the late show host says “here’s another dumb thing the president did” while he sips alcohol practically alone at his studio.
Lmao
:D :D :D So terribly true. Well, last man...or woman - fair enough - turns off the lights. Thank you for the music.
This time line is so fun The casual existential dread really gets you hooked
Hahaha so true Edit: except the comment above mine.. very few youtubers can hold a flame to Colbert, and even they write scripts for themselves before they shoot anything 😂
Guys watching this now is surreal, we've come so far
The audience laughter has just turned into Jon going "aaaaahhhhhh" quietly in the background
Honestly John's 'Ahhhhhh!' has more comedic effect than a laugh track
Colbert in an empty room talking to the camera. His transition to being a true KZheadr is complete.
No, his transition would include corporate shilling, dyed hair, and looking less professional
No a true KZheadr works his way up. Not censor competition while backed by maga corporations
I actually love this, i hated the constant whooping and hollering of the crowd, id always skip those parts anyways, annoying asf
Tasunke Leave the coronavirus out of your political shitflinging, please.
Tasunke See? That’s better. At least the shitflinging isn’t political now. You’re making so much progress, Tasu-chan! We might be able to release you from the facility if you keep it up!
This feels like when you're at school and a majority of your class is gone either because of a field trip or testing or something, so your teacher is just kind of chilling talking to the handful of students that are still in class.
And your teacher is drunk.
@@Kate-hh8yi o.O
exactly what i thought the whole time
That's what happened today nobody came to school, i live in nyc and everybody seems to be panicing
@@arlenemdlc9672 NYC school district is closed
Don’t mind me, just back here to relive everything now that the show is coming back.
I’m glad that the year 2020 is over and that 2021 is becoming a better year and things are really starting to return to normal.
@@fernandoifill-ruiz3475You jinxed it!
Almost 2 years later, this is scary, and yet strangely nostalgic
3 years now and so much Nostalgia during pandemic
yeah. even now it's weird to think this was once reality
nearly 4 years now and it is so weird to see this... it was a brick by the way, Stephen, but most of us got through it okayish... a few people died, quite a few are still fighting with the consequences, some with physical conditions, and many of us with psychological consequences... the world will change a lot from it, some good some bad... but don't worry, there's a lot of war and other shit coming up, so it can still get worse!
This is like the ‘5 years later scenes’ in Avengers: Endgame.
This is so depressing
we need a rat to save us now
Hilary is captain marvel she just doesn't know it yet we need her first
That is scarily accurate, well done sir.
Bruuhh
This seems like an apocalypse movie when protagonists are the only people left on earth
@Fate speaking of movies. I know why people are tense and fight each other while buying stuff at the store while its flooded with people prepping for a disaster. I felt something in the air dude, it was calm but packed, milk, water, tissue... gone. When they restock it.... gone If someone was to start shit, everybody would start losing their cool because the line was long as shit with only two clerks literally running out of money. Now i understand
@@frostywasp1743 yeah, usually the protagonist is cool under pressure but most of us would be the other people, the ones terrified and uncertain and on tenterhooks, and well, fear leads to anger, and anger leads to the Dark Side. Fortunately, I went to the store today and everybody seemed to be making a conscious effort to be calm, friendly and cooperative and even generous, which was wonderful to see. But, how long that would last if things got much worse is anybody's guess...you also have people fighting over toilet paper and dying of alcohol poisoning.
@@Ceares Its hard to get into a fight with a guy you're consciously trying to stand 6 feet away from
That's soon about to happend.
It's Eric Andre
I think this no audience thing is a true test to the late night hosts as entertainers, can they keep the same energy and delivery of jokes without feeding off an audience? All entertainers Do is Respond to the energy in the room!
They all fail
Conan is still going strong, Fallon is going half half and same as kimmel, Colbert has gone completely off the rails recently...
They are good con men
There's one man who can do that, it's Trevor Noah
@@Maynza Colbert is getting better
Best episode so far. They should all be more like this-- Stephen and John with music and ideas going back and forth. Odd how a room of brilliant writers doesn't achieve the same vibrance of this rehearsal. Networks put too much stock into following a formula.
The world and this country are about to learn a few things. Lest's see if it sticks.
Writers were involved though?
This is so weird, but so cozy. It’s like when it’s snowing outside, school doesn’t call off, but most of the kids call in, so it’s just your teacher and a select few students and you all just goof off the entire day and have good discussions. I think that’s the reason why I’m feeling this weird coziness feeling in the midst of an infectious virus.
Ghosty You win the comments. Very well said.
Yeah, I enjoy the conversations with Jon.
Thank you for putting my feelings into words.
Very weird, it's crazy how weird the late talk show people sound with out crowd reaction, gives off a different vibe
I sincerely hope the 'coziness' isn't the start of a fever 😂 😐 😂
Not gonna lie: this is somewhere between fascinatingly spooky and fascinatingly depressing... 😐
TechnoEstate gallows’s humour
Well said!
TechnoEstate I just got chills from your comment... I was thinking the same thing
honestly this makes want to watch late shows even more because I just want to see how they react to a situation so tragically unique. I googled if snl was going to be on this week and apparently they're doing repeats. Honestly I really wanted to see how a show like that would go without an audience. You put it very well, "fascinatingly spooky and fascinatingly depressing."
Agreed, normally I turn to this show for relief from everything else..
Why does this sound like something that would come on the radio in a fallout game.
"Not comforting the guy trying to reassure us about a respiratory illness losing his breath during a 2 syllable word." rofl!
I'm actually digging this whole no-audience thing. It's raw and immediate. It feels more like the original Letterman vibe, ad hoc, and guerilla. Love it.
Agreed, maybe someone should ask Craig Ferguson to come back now, but only with Geoff Peterson.
Yeah I actually agree. I like the unpolished feel
Looks like this is exactly what you would get if there were an audience, and nobody telling them to laugh.
It feels candid and sincere. I'm 100% for this.
I like it more too
I bet it's difficult for the hosts to not have an audience. Difficult for everyone really.
Cader Locke I do my show like that every episode.
@@frostychickenprods what are you, some kind of super comedian?
@@caderlocke8869 Okay, THAT's pretty damn funny.
Like playing a gig and the only people in the audience are the other bands and their girlfriends.
You can tell he feels weird
This period of The Late Show was strange and quite scary. We didn't know what we were in for.. Now, over 2 years later, I'm very happy that that period is over
Jon Batiste is such an incredible musician, wonderful.
He played a few notes lol
@@boberto1976 you do know that he plays more than that right?? Like this isn't the only time he's played?? Right????
Hope it doesn't go unnoticed how Batiste just pulled that Chopin Prelude in E minor out of his head in a moment's notice!
Peter Kopera this is the comment I came here for.
@@boberto1976 and the way he played them is far more musical than most people can manage
This is a what an apocalyptical episode would look like.
@Panzer Blitz why do you like the idea of millions of people dying?
Panzer Blitz Psychopaths be like:
@Panzer Blitz You gay.
If it was apocalypse, Stephen would be drinking waaaayyy more!
Would look like? Looks like!
stephen: play something calming john: plays a piece that is literally about the moment before death
Glad I'm not the only one who caught the Chopin.
Huh! Looks like something from my music appreciation class stuck with me! Because I had the same thought, but didn't understand WHY I thought that song was was about death.
Man that is not calming at all almost sent a chill down my spine
Helping!
Imagine having to put the bit into a comment, like it wasn't the whole point of the bit.
I think this particular episode will go down as historic. It truly captures the bewilderment and apprehension we all felt when the pandemic started. School children in the year 2100 will watch this to prepare themselves for the next "once in a century" pandemic.
Yep. Things and outlooks changed day-to-day, recorded through all outlets of media
I don’t understand your comment? Why in hindsight would you not want trump to pursue a travel ban on heavily infected COVID parts of the world in the early stages? Why would open borders of heavily infected countries at the very beginning of the pandemic benefit America? Why wouldn’t you prefer to close borders to much more Covid prevalent parts of the world to get a head start on the safety of America? Can you elaborate on why Stephen Colbert has a good point regarding any aspect of this concept?
Global Warming other forms of human impact on the enviroment are quickly disregulating the ecosystems, wich increases the chances of the next pandemic happening still on our lifetimes.
I’ve watched this many times since it aired and just now noticed John’s “Halloween” piano notes during Colbert’s shower/intruder joke. Brilliant.
- Jon, you don't drink at all? - No. - How do you calm yourself down? - Music! That's pure gold.
The way to do it!!!
Amen!
That's why he's a Grammy winner
Many of my depressed teen years was spent listening to music. Here I am.
And he played Chopin Op. 28, No. 4, which Chopin wrote for his FUNERAL
The "calming" piano piece is known as "suffocation" and was played at Chopin's funeral.
Quite suitable
@Tom Cizzle hey you're bad
Had no idea, thanks!
@Tom Cizzle - Hey Tom. I'm conservative and tRump is an idiot that has to go! It is only Faux News and Trumptards that are the real problem. Have a good day.
Tom Cizzle Ok boomer.
When you realize his audiences is his staff so those who wrote the jokes
As soon as you take out the audience, every talk show gets a little more Eric Andre-y.
@Himmarshee Street Live Give me Stephen any way, any how, with JB on the keys.
they should get Kraft Punk
We are all witnessing a week of unprecedented events. This is so surreal.
Not necessarily unprecedented. Outside of living memory at the very least though. The unprecedented part is that we can all talk to each other in real time while it happens.
Right? Interesting times we live in
Cool he? Its broadening our world and life views again.
More likely two weeks, possibly three.
Who would have thought we'd see Sara Palin singing "baby got back" in a purple bear suit moments before we realized we're screwed.
Stephen: play me some calming music Jon: plays famously sad piece of music used in every art-house apocalypse or holocaust movie ever when all hope is lost Stephen: *drinks*
Chopin’s Prelude in E minor
I love Jon.
Funny but appropriate, the reality of the situation is slowly setting in.
I love Jon. 🤣
@@qwerty_and_azerty - I was a classical music major in college. This was one of my favorite pieces to perform. Batiste throwing that out actually made me smile. It's been a while.
Old stand-up comic rules apply here: Keep talking until the alcohol runs out, if it gets replenished, then you're doing OK.
I vote for Jon's piano everytime. Give the band more time imo.
This feels strange but also weirdly fun, like having a backstage pass to watch the show's rehearsal antics 🤓😂
Ikr? I really enjoyed it.
It gave me the chill though. Like we're living in some sort of alternate reality
Maybe if u had a life it wouldnt seem so interesting LOL
@@daness5620, ok, Trumpet...
Everyone is so stressed out.
This feels like one of those apocalyptic movies where the last surviving humans still dress for dinner “just cause.”. Anyone remember the final scene from Night of the Comet?
TAO TAO totally agree 😁
The Omega Host.
Hahahahaha!!!
American Horror Story Apocalypse
Mitchell and Webb do an excellent spoof of an end of the world show that looks like this. Google it it's hilarious .
And today, he returned back to the show with a fully vaccinated studio audience
Please don't leave us! You are our generation's version of the fireside chats. Thank you Stephen, for keeping morale up for the last 3 years.. we need you now more than ever! Even if only a 5 minute snippet on KZhead letting us know you're still alive.. you are also a national treasure ❤
I really like this “confessional” style - the lack of audience actually really helps emphasize the experimental nature of the work and the interplay with his crew. It humanizes a guy I already liked as a person.
I actually love this, i hated the constant whooping and hollering of the crowd, id always skip those parts anyways, annoying asf
I feel the same way about Jimmy Fallon's most recent monologue
Istnt that Right
@@mragunathan1627 and me too. I get that.
Bruh, this is low level content for people, politics and current events dumbed down for the masses to consume and feel like they know what’s going on
John being a true friend and laughing at his buddy's jokes when no one else will.
As is tradition
Heeey-ooooo
@Emmett Hardie I know right? Trump had to cancel his ego stroking rallies too!!! Poor Donnie!
Audience still good amount of people
@Emmett Hardie Yes interesting side to him
1. This show should always be seen like this. 2. I can't believe I'm living in this time.
John plays Chopin, I hear Bender's lament. "Ah, the pity. Fated to drift forever through the void as gravity's plaything. Oh cruel fate, to be thusly boned. Ask not for whom the Bone bones, it bones for thee."
That show was such a treasure
Wow. When life gets stressful and the world seems crazy, we watch this show for a distraction and to feel less alone. Having these shows slowly shut down feels a little like the band playing as the titanic sank. Please don’t stop, Stephen. We need you.
ThisJewishMama perfect reference ....
Agree with the above, great reference
ThisJewishMama I’d like to see it just become a whole lot more musical, just throw Jon Batiste in there everywhere
+
Good band tho..
For anyone who cares: John's piece at 9:31 is Chopin - Prelude in E Minor (Op. 28 No.4). Who said music degrees were useless? lol
Was wondering what that was :) beautiful! Thanks for calling it out
I was just wondering about that. Thanks.
I was about to say, but you beat me! And yes, I got a music degree too... which is why I work in a kitchen. >.>
Thank you! I knew I recognized it.
One of my favorites. (English master's but took a couple music courses on the way).
While it sucks that you had to close your doors to an audience, thank you for this rare treat of seeing how your rehearsals go. 🥰 Hope everyone stays healthy.
It's crazy watching this a year later
Later this week we'll see Stephen Colbert doing his Monologue from his home in his pajamas.
I'd watch it
God I hope so
From TN🥰
Imagine the band all using a video conference platform to join. I have paid for “couch tour” from home broadcasts from several singer songwriters, and they are fun. There’s a different, less slick feel that is endearing and intimate.
Be awesome if they were Lord of the Rings pajamas 😅
I love Stephen unhinged. Entertaining as hell. Just hope he's doing okay and adjusting well enough.
@@severestatements5428o0001 h1k019
@@severestatements5428 so, is this what you do? just go to random popular channels and post the same comment over and over, advertising your own channel, on videos that have nothing whatsoever to do with the topic you're discussing?
This is one of his best monologues I've seen in a long time
Hahaha. Wait, why wouldn’t you close the American borders durning the beginning pandemic!?!? What am I missing?
Please dont tell me I'm the only one getting emotional watching this - more than a year later
I love that Hollywood and the Entertainment industry are being serious about the ramifications of Coronavirus. I wish our government would do the same. Stay safe, folks. 💜
If wishes were horses we'd all be trampling elected officials.
@@Raincentral003 🐎
trump literally put travel bans on europe and donated billions of dollars to the cdc i think the government is trying their hardest under the circumstances
Here in St. Louis almost every event including sports, music, theater, and convention has been canceled. And the mayor has forbidden any events of 2,000 and over.
@@tmante0 only after thousands are confirmed sick and even then testings and treatments aren't given to those who need it and you're still made to go to work if you're sick so. Meanwhile other countries are already taking the necessary measures. America? Not so much
We’re here Stephen and watching. You can’t see or hear us but we’re laughing at the right spots, promise! You do what you do, Sir. Thank you
Fatima Mirza hear, hear!
I hope he isn’t too discouraged from the events. I am super thankful he’s up there putting on a show. That’s some damn good commitment to his work. That, or contractual obligations. Either way, as long as he’s not putting his health at risk, I hope he keeps the shows coming.
Ah man, I really hope he sees this comment, I think he would like it, we're all laughing Stephen ! :)
The sound of one hand clapping.
Cheers to that my friend
We need The Colbert Report.... Also, this had a sort I’m gonna get tipsy-endy-of-the-worldy vibe...
It will be the end as we know it. But God has a great plan.
@@81licker I hope so . I say let the virus go rampant.
Brenda De Los Santos Speaking from the future... you're in luck.
We need Colbert to keep going, audience or no. The world is less scary when he jokes about it.
Colbert is a fool and not funny , so glad u have been found out - your not funny
@@tommytingtong and you can't spell! Go watch Fox News and stop trolling!
i feel like we're living in the beginning of a dystopian novel. like when the book starts 5-10 years after the world fell apart and this is the very beginning part of the story you only ever hear about in snippets throughout the book.
Yeah this is basically the beginning of The Stand
great idea. you should save what you wrote. Then go back to it from time to time. Maybe you'll turn a youtube comment into a popular novel.
keira Not the time to read dystopian novels. But if you want, start with A Brave New World and finish with The Road.
So... we're in a prequel. Oh no. Everything makes a lot more sense now.
The year is 2022. .03% of the human populace has survived the waves upon waves of devastating plague. A wild eyed and disheveled Stephen Colbert laughs quietly to himself as he delivers his monologue in what remains of his tattered studio. The darkened cameras and nonexistent audience sit in rapt attention. "Today the New York Nicks celebrated their second consecutive 14-way tie as the conference champions. My sympathies go out to the 15th place team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. heh..."
When he kissed his hand, smiled and and said “see ya suckers!” and then looked down at his hand and applied some purell, that was one of the more darkly funny moments on television. Not sure if it was meant to be a joke or not.
Yes that was the way to coin that "darkly funny"
Not a joke. A new fact.
Honestly intended a joke or not the subjective humor can be quite melancholic. Personally I love this. There is a lot of truth in this relative to the late show .
Seriouly... He's GENIUS!! His delivery, his improv jokes, impressions... I mean, he definitely put a smile on my face and got me laughing out loud at such a worrying and sad time... probably my fav late night host 🙂
It’s October 2023 and this is rather surreal to watch. Covid is still here but nothing like back then. And I’m so glad it’s nothing like back then. It was really scary there for awhile and just glad that is over.
Will someone please let Stephen know that I laughed out loud several times. He's obviously disoriented by not having an audience, but he's doing fine. Classy comedy at its finest.
VERY WELL SAID. THANK YOU!
Seriously the interaction between him and John at 10:00 had me in tears
Me as well. Laughed quite a bit actually. People need laughs now more than ever.
We all know that if Stephen had his way, he'd have someone play the lyre while he was reenacting the entirety of the Silmarillion.
Underrated comment!
I would love for this happen
kzhead.info/sun/fclmob5rn5ZvfJE/bejne.html
This would be amazing!!!
and thats a BAD THING?!?!?!
This is so awesome & laid-back, host looks chilled & casual :) Feels like there should be one audience-less show per week, or at least per month!
Is it just me, or did that "West Side Story" fight scene look less West Side Story and more Power Rangers?
I totally agree
I'd laugh if they started filling the theatre with Mannequins and huge stuffed animals, cardboard standups...or wacky flailing inflatable arm tube men. LOL
That would have been hilarious. Especially if he acted like they were still having an audience
Craig Ferguson would have done it.
David Lederhouse YES!
And perfectly staged and obvious canned laughter :)
They should, that would be too good.
This makes me realize that a trump rally without an audience to enable him would just be a borderline senile man rambling into the abyss... now THATS something I’d like to see
That's basically Twitter
Oh I cannot wait to see that
😬He LL go nuts
good one Katherine! 🤣🤣
orange man bad
This is actually perfect in its imperfection. Shows we can still laugh despite all the weirdness and horror.
Oh gosh his deer impersonation- hilarious.
"Don't follow me!" (to the camera). I lol-ed so literally.
Oh my god, I'm dying of laughter. Can we make Colbert + bourbon + "rehearsal" format a regular thing, like once a month or once every couple weeks?
Why not everyday.
id honestly watch this than any celebrity interviews
Maybe this is the future of television. Remain indoors. Do not mention The Event.
If this were a Patreon, videos like this would be the perfect perk!
I strongly agree with Conlan Mueller... any audience-laughter deficiency is far compensated-for... by the LOL breaking-up which arises... from watching this first-time-ever historic clip
This feels weirdly cozy...
Pablo G then you may like my late night show that has zero audience. Always.
Or, cozily weird.
Hotel-from-the-Shining cozy
Agree'd Mr Pablo G- Stay safe my good friend
Meh. Craig Ferguson would have taken a mere 'not having an audience' in his stride.
I kinda really like the honest feel the show gets without an audience, feels more reel and like your part of it
's the middle of 2023 .. I've had long covid for 17 months - Stephen, along with John and Seth - have kept me sane and to be honest - Alive. Getting only a couple hours of sleep a day means a lot of youtube And the writers strike has just been joined by the Screen Actors Guild - so I can only wish you all the best, I may miss you now, but I can wait for new stuff - your back catalogues are a dream library of joy and laughter. And creativity must be rewarded we all want you happy and back, enjoying your work. you are the highlight of every day.
The vibe of this reminded me of when no one was at school on like one of the last days of the year and the teacher is way more relaxed with everyone
Damn I forgot that feeling.
absol YES DEAD ON- was wondering why this energy was familiar
this is so accurate. im dying
absol- -utely
@@katiemarshall1737 take care lol
You know? now for some ungodly reason, I want to see a Trump rally without an audience.
🤔🤔 I guess. Idk. He'll just look like someone's grandpa screaming into the void about how great he is at everything and how nobody knows more than him. Ok on second thought I do too.
😂😂😂😂
Mee toooo
Twitter.
@@darius3696 You're telling me you wouldn't want to see that? It'd be like watching the rejects episode of America's got talent.
God damn the nostalgia of rewatching this. Back when I did my school’s theatre production sophomore year we had to perform without the large audience that would usually accompany the show, and it felt exactly like this. That initial lockdown phase was honestly such a vibe with everything closing, quarantine was cool af
Are we there yet? Is it over? No? Ok, see you in several months when you pop up again in my recommended feed.
I hope there’s a huge TV audience watching this. These no-live-audience performances are going to be historic, many years from now. Ya think?!!
No their ratings suck, which is why they are on KZhead getting artificial boost and special treatment bought by their company
Lu Ri So people watching on KZhead don't count as people watching because it's on KZhead? 🤷♂️ Got it. 👌 Describe this artificial boost and special treatment for us please.
they shall be the youtube equivalent of steel pennies: "life must continue on, but we need to make a few changes for the war effort" (in this case, the war is against the disease)
I actually love this, i hated the constant whooping and hollering of the crowd, id always skip those parts anyways, annoying asf
Nobody cares
I have a suspicion that one guy who's laughing loudly at everything, is one of the writers for the shows jokes 😂😂
Chad Doucette okay, noticeable now that you mention it 😂
Lol and me laughing loudly at work when I should be home in a bath tub full of disinfectant 😂
That's John the pianist
@@TheBasher-_- ify. 😂😂😂 Today I chose to walk 55 mins to work rather than touching a freaking bus.
Watching this in June of 2021, right after the last off-site “*A* Late Show” episode is surreal and it’s hard to know how to feel about it. Lol
same lol
We're nearly halfway through June and this feels like a full year ago.
We're more than halfway through July, and this feels like a time before time began.
This show really brought out the showman in John, he was relaxed and on point. Nothing he said seemed forced, as it often does. Maybe the lack of a crowd changes the pacing, and he likes it better. I think Colbert shone in this. He should consider it like a podcast. All the talk show guys should. And they really just need a couple people around to snicker and gesture. Just offer someone to bounce off of. Although it is obvious why Colbert loves to perform for a crowd. Remember when he ran for president? He has been a joy to watch since before the Colbert Report. I think having the relaxed, bourbon in hand, feet on the desk, attitude, contributes to the feel of a club we all belong to. Which we are a part off, this global audience of self-isolators. Colbert makes it fun. Let’s hope he can continue because we all desperately need him right now!
I agree with your take. I usually really enjoy the dynamic between Stephen and John, but I love it in this. I definitely wouldn't want to see the usual style go away, but I'd certainly love to see something like this (small or no audience, casual, even just taping the rehearsal again) come back more in the regular schedule. Maybe as a monthly show.
Agreed- This video made me a fan. I really enjoyed the "crassness" of it. It was genuine. I appreciate he is having scotch rather than pretending hes drinking water, the conversation between he and John and the lack of audience. Very enjoyable change of pace. Would welcome it as the norm.
I rarely laugh out loud during this show, but the lack of laughter cues made me laugh the whole time. I agree that it's a much more relatable experience to see *Steven and john* perform this way. Reminds me of the Eric Andre show *Edit
This is a real reality show now!
I agree that this was surprisingly graceful, especially for a rehearsal. It has a livingroom or speakeasy atmosphere, and was relaxed in a very easy to appreciate way. It just goes to show that Colbert is really talented and surrounds himself with a good crowd, because he doesn't need the flash to make it work.
The Netherlands here: I still appreciate your effort and still laughed from the other side of the pond! 😂
Hey! I have a sister in the Netherlands. Hope you're doing ok there!
@@IMSiegfried yeah, it's not THAT bad... Numbers go up each day, but it will slow down within a week.
Stay strong, hou vol
Snaakie God I hope you're right. The British government is almost as incompetent as the American one, so people seem to be bracing for the apocalypse, though the 'keep calm and carry on' mantra seems to be pervading in some quarters yet! Kudos to the Colbert team for this though, I'm laughing and crying at the same time ;)
Same!!!! This is just calming but also hilarious.
Music vs. alcohol... Stephen's bourbon and John Baptiste's Chopin prelude... pure gold.
Given that shortness of breath is a symptom, Stephen's heavy breathing is giving me anxiety...
This was surreal. I feel for Steven, gotta be weird to not have an audience.
His usual audience is braindead anyways.
Word. Just shows how unfunny Colbert is and how he needs audience to make his bad jokes a tad funnier.
Economical Overeem why do you even bother watching? I Iove Colbert. He’s clever, witty, and funny as hell!
Just another late night comedy hack paid for by the establishment, I don't know why anyone still bothers watching not even funny
Economical Overeem your account has no content, Troll.
That's why he never laughs on camera, he's constantly laughing at rehearsals
I love you all so much, thank you for doing your best through this difficult time. We all greatly appreciate the work you all do.
Stephen and all, all the crew, thank you so much for doing this. So personal and frank, it's like watching the behind the scenes. Loved it!!!
This was post apocalyptic. The tone, the jokes, the music... It's like you've been expecting the asteroid to hit the city.
🎯
Ooooh! Now there's an asteriod, too!?!
To me, this was the funniest monologue in months. Something about the awkward silence after the jokes had me rolling. Keep it up Stephen. I love it! Maybe I'm weird!
We all a little weird in our own way!
Heh. Like the kids shows where the hosts wait awkwardly for a reply. But if it's any consolation to Stephen, I was cracking up over here.
King Cornell … which makes us perfect 😉 take care, greetings from Germany
Yep. This was somehow doubly funny. A lot more intimate and personal
It was funny because it was real and not contrived. Edgy too.
I enjoy this guy having fun in this situation, it spreads joy and fun where in a time like this is needed and is appreciated
Came back here at the end of A Late show in the storage closet on the weekend before The Late Show returns in the Theater, just to see what I have been missing for the past year and change!
The lack of an audience kinda makes this feel like Eric Andre. But calmer.
Bird up.
Everything is calmer than Eric Andre.
G M snail down
I thought the same thing!!! 😂
john is hannibal
Somehow, as a viewer this feels more inclusive and wholesome, and I'm not entirely sure why.
Because the normal show is polished to a shine, to look and sound better than life, representing something that is only possible using technology. This times there was a person sitting there, walking out of the spotlight, taking a second to think, in short: Being real. Even the cuts were obvious, allowing us insight into how the material was pieced together, allowed us to experience that there were mistakes hidden from us, that there's not an ubermensch there who can do the whole show perfectly in one take as the usual hidden cuts suggest.
I agree with Henry. I felt it was a little more like an adult version of me Rogers
I think the reason it feels so much more inclusive is because usually we get to see a taping of him talking to his audience - now he is talking directly to us in front of the screen, just us. Makes one feel less voyeuristic and more like the partner of a conversation. ^^
This is reality tv. I like it!
Because it feels more like having a conversation, than a show. Sure, he's speaking, but it feels very inclusive, almost like you could step in and contribute.
"I actually don't know how I am" "What do you mean you don't know who you are?"
Bit of a Lion King moment there...
Watching this a year later, the vibe in the room and Stephens tone is haunting... I never have imagined that the hysteria would get to the level it is today
Guys, Italy under lockdown here: you're doing the right thing by avoiding close proximity with other people..It sounds awful now but is for the greater good.
We wish you all the best!
@Earthling Carnivore No. Italy is a living example of why we need to be careful now, to try to prevent the spread of the virus. That's not fearmongering. That's common sense.
sooooo prove it? You have a video camera and internet access. talk about whats going on and share with the world.
@@freddytheplatypus826 Read the Guardian or any other reputable news source. There are so many articles out there. Do your own research instead of expecting someone else to do it for you.
Buono salute!
This was simultaneously the most awkward and funniest thing I have ever seen from Stephen Colbert.
Thank you for doing this for your staff and releasing your rehearsal and saving them valuable exposure time. It was brave of you to do. I admired you before and this confirms you are a good person.
Thank you for the candor. Great as always, but maybe even a little better! Don't be depressed. Hang in there. We'll get through this insanity...
I actually really enjoyed the energy here. I feel like this will be a bit of an artifact of the times when this will passes. Everything feels a bit surreal and dissociated, and this captured it really well.
Yes this will become as iconic as the writer strike and 9/11 talk show episodes have become.
Clown
Absolutely.
Considering how stale the late night format has gotten, this might be the best thing to happen to it in a while. It’ll be fun to see how the show adapts
Except most shows are going off-air. You would have *loved* the writers' strike, though! All the evening comedy shows were the most spontaneous, inventive tv.
Conan is still going strong
.@@alphabryan4703 Don't talk like a forking "Thronie", "genius"! "Drumpf" might be beyond-salvageable, but I managed to find meaning in his script addressing the notorious-yet-barely-known pathogen as “foreign virus” against whom "the United States is standing as united as strong as ever"( paraphrased). Ideally, whilst SARS-Cov-2 may not even be a terrorist, let alone an invading military-force: It's far more deadly!( But not high-profile because OPTICS!) And hence: The reason your favourite "Conan" is “still going strong” is not to exhibit his "Trump-ism"[ existent even before the eponymous creature was born], but is only able to do so because HE. AIN'T. IN. NEW YORK. FOR. YEARS. NOW!
It’s good to know, in the middle of a crisis, snowflakes will still get easily offended
Amen man. Everybody would tune in if they just would loosely plan and wing the show. It’d be more authentic than the terrible jokes with courtesy laughter
Stephen Colbert is a national treasure. Too bad he isn't president instead
TDS
@@joepaleface6326 , seeing your comment in April 2023 is hilarious. How's it going with the numerous lawsuits facing the twice impeached disgraced indicted FORMER president?
Brilliant. Poignant. Thank you and bless you Steven - and Jon!🙏