Late Night USA "Trump can't take a joke": Bruce Springsteen escalates at Colbert's farewell
Honor to whom honor is due: In the last "Late Show", Stephen Colbert is celebrated once again by stars and the audience. The competition also pays tribute to him. For once, political issues are left out of the final show. Others, such as Bruce Springsteen, are more outspoken.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- On May 21, the "Late Show", which premiered in 1993 under David Letterman, ran for the last time on CBS.
- Presenter Stephen Colbert dispensed with a finale with a political bang and allowed himself to be celebrated by stars and colleagues.
- David Letterman and Bruce Springsteen, on the other hand, clearly criticized the broadcaster and President Donald Trump.
"If they're only tuning into the 'Late Show' now, they've missed a lot," said Stephen Colbert at the start of the finale. "Tonight is our last show from the Ed Sullivan Theater," he continues, which the audience acknowledges with boos.
Colbert shakes his raised index finger: "No, no - we've been lucky to be here for the last eleven years. That can't be taken for granted." Now comes the end for the presenter after over 1800 Late Show episodes: "And show business being what it is these days, you'll probably see me there next."
"Just a normal episode"
Anyone expecting Colbert to go all out again in his final monologue and settle accounts with Donald Trump or his broadcaster CBS is on the wrong track.
"We actually wanted to do a big special tonight," says Colbert, "but we think every episode of the Late Show is special. And we thought the best way to celebrate what we've achieved over the last 11 years is to just do a normal episode."
But the finale is not normal. Instead of big politics, the show is filled with melancholy: Colbert's brothers and sisters are there. Stars briefly pay their respects in the hope of being the last guest: Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Natoro and Ryan Reynolds are there.
But they only get to speak briefly: the honor goes to Paul McCartney, who celebrated his US premiere with the Beatles in the very same Ed Sullivan Theater.
Letterman: "You can't take away the voice"
There are no controversial topics in this interview either: Only once in the segment "Meanwhile" does Colbert allow himself a side blow to his station, when his band plays the music from "Peanuts" - and the late-night host teases that CBS will have to pay fees for it.
The 62-year-old pulls off his finale professionally. The most emotional moment is a song Colbert performs with his bandleader Louis Cato, his former bandleader Jon Batiste and Elvis Costello - a medley of Costello's "Jump Up" and "Hello Goodbye" by the Beatles, with Paul McCartney also joining in.
The cancellation of the "Late Show", which first aired in 1993, has recently been criticized by others. For example from David Letterman, who was the presenter before Colbert. "As we all know, you can take away a man's show. You can't take away a man's voice," the 79-year-old declares combatively. "So that's the good news from me."
What happens to the show's inventory? "That's the property of CBS," Colbert says on that May 15 show. "It's all owned by the Paramount CBS group." "Wait a minute, are they [owned by media company] Skydance?" asks Letterman. "Yeah, I think we're all Skydancers now," Colbert says.
Bruce Springsteen becomes clear
Letterman says, looking at the prop: "It would be a shame if something happened to that." And what do the two men do? They throw some of that inventory off the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater after the interview. The duo's attempt to hit a CBS logo on the ground with objects such as office chairs is cathartic.
Bruce Springsteen becomes even clearer when he performs the song "Streets of Minneapolis" in the penultimate show. "Tonight I'm there to support Stephen," says the music legend. "Because he's the first guy in America to lose his show because we have a president who can't take a joke." See also video at the top.
Referring to the billionaire owners of Skydance, Springsteen continues, "And because Larry and David Ellison feel the need to kiss [the president's] ass to get what they want. Never mind, Stephen: They're narrow-minded people. They have no idea what the freedoms of this beautiful country mean."
The reaction of his colleagues shows that Stephen Colbert has set the bar pretty high for late-night shows. Out of respect, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon refrained from their shows yesterday, Thursday, to leave the stage entirely to Colbert.
Stewart's broadside against CBS
Kimmel, Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver also take part in one last sketch. "We've come to say we're going to miss you," Jimmy Kimmel says. "Late Night won't be the same without you."
"Where are Americans supposed to turn to see middle-aged white men making jokes about the news when you're not around?" sends in Seth Meyers afterward. With Colbert's exit in mind, John Oliver suspects: "It could happen to any of our shows at some point."
Late-night colleague Jon Stewart is also in the finale, but was also interviewed again individually on May 20. "I just think it's smart what CBS is doing," Stewart chided. "It's a good move. To cancel that show and then also ruin the news and cut '60 Minutes' down to like 6 good minutes. That's so smart."
Do late-night shows have a future?
After Colbert's departure, Jon Stewart and his "Daily Show" team are the last late-night bastion at Paramount-Skydance. They will be under just as much scrutiny as Jimmy Kimmel: His station ABC, which belongs to Disney, had already canceled his show last year and only brought him back into the program after massive protests.
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Late Night With Seth Meyers" air on NBC, which is owned by media giant Comcast. "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver can be seen on HBO, which is soon to be sold to Skydance. Life will not get any easier for these late-night hosts, but they will not let their mouths be shut.
Late Night USA - Understanding America
50 states, 330 million people and even more opinions: How are you supposed to "understand America"? If you want to keep an overview without running aground, you need a beacon. The late-night stars offer one of the best navigational aids: They are the perfect pilots, relentlessly naming the shoals of the country and its people, and serve our author Philipp Dahm as a comedy compass for the state of the American soul.
The next confrontation with Donald Trump seems inevitable. "We're clowns," Colbert says of his argument with the New Yorker: "How much does it diminish the office of the presidency to even take notice of what we say?" His tenor: it is actually beneath the dignity of the office to respond to comedians.
And Trump? "It's amazing he's lasted this long," the 79-year-old writes in a post today. "Finally, Colbert is done at CBS. No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person. You could take any person off the street and they'd be better than this douchebag. Good thing he's finally gone!"
