MSNBC political analyst and podcast Alex Wagner joined CBS’s Stephen Colbert on The Late Show on Wednesday for a truly wild two-segment interview on everything from foreign policy to the No Kings rallies to the government shutdown.
Colbert started off innocently enough as he kicked off the interview by asking, “I want to get into the politics in a second… What’s got your attention other than politics? What are you watching and or listening to?”
Wagner claimed that, “I am watching The Diplomat on Netflix because its—I love Keri Russell and she’s a better diplomat than Jared Kushner, so that’s a break from reality.”
Kushner is arguably the most successful American diplomat of the 21st century. He negotiated the Abraham Accords and then got the Gaza ceasefire deal the left spent the last two years desperately claiming they wanted. Nothing personal against Keri Russell, but she hasn’t done either of those things.
Later, Colbert turned to No Kings, “Many voters and even politicians have been angry with what they perceive as the lack of flight of the Democratic Party this time around. Some people have left the party. What do you make of the state of Democratic Party right now? Do you think—did No Kings have significant meaning to you? That wasn't organized by the Democrats It was organized by the No Kings, which is—”
Wagner interrupted to claim that if a group calls itself No Kings, it really must believe it no kings, “People who don't want, you know, a kingdom, a monarchy in the United States.”
Most people are old enough to remember President Obama huffing about his pen and phone or to have read a book about the history of the American left being big fans of executive power for over a century. Still, Colbert agreed with Wagner, “Exactly. That really wasn’t really a left-right thing. It was an autocrat-non-autocrat.”
Wagner then heaped more praise on the protestors, “But we got to take the wins when we get them and when you have a march that's the largest public protest in 55 years that is a win for democracy. That is a citizenry that is alive and awake and engaged and that is foundational to American democracy as much as anything else is. So, that is a big deal. And I’m, honestly, I get it, it happened five days ago and, like, democracy has been further shredded since then but take that moment and put it in your pocket and remember the people still care.”
This time, it was Colbert doing the interrupting as he couldn’t resist throwing around the left’s favorite political insult, “Right. And you’re not alone because a fascist wants you to think that you are alone and you’re the only one who’s upset.”
Wagner agreed and while Democrats try to insist they are not responsible for the ongoing government shutdown, she praised Democrats for shutting down the government, “And the other piece is I think you are seeing, perhaps a little bit too late for a lot of people, but nonetheless you are seeing a Democratic Party that is united in principle in a really serious showdown with this Republican administration, shutting down the government, because they care about Americans having access to health care. They care that the sickest and the weakest among us do not have the very safety net that keeps them alive shredded. I think that is so admirable and it's a set of cajones I did not know congressional Democrats had. So, like, kudos to that.”
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Democrats are actually fighting to protect Obamacare subsidies for rich people because the Biden-era expanded benefits removed the income caps on who is eligible for such subsidies.
Here is a transcript for the October 22-taped show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
10/23/2025
12:19 AM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: I want to get into the politics in a second—
ALEX WAGNER: Okay.
COLBERT: —but let's just start with an amuse-bouche, what’s got your attention—a sorbet—
WAGNER: Yes. I like it. A palate cleanser before we eat.
COLBERT: —What’s got your attention other than politics? What are you watching and or listening to?
WAGNER: Well, I am watching The Diplomat on Netflix because its—I love Keri Russell, and she’s a better diplomat than Jared Kushner, so that’s a break from reality.
…
12:28 AM ET
COLBERT: Many voters and even politicians have been angry with what they perceive as the lack of flight of the Democratic Party—
WAGNER: Yeah.
COLBERT: — this time around. Some people have left the party. What do you make of the state of the Democratic Party right now? Do you think—did No Kings have significant meaning to you? That wasn't organized by the Democrats.
WAGNER: No.
COLBERT: It was organized by the No Kings, which is—
WAGNER: People who don't want, you know, a kingdom, a monarchy in the United States.
COLBERT: Exactly. That really wasn’t really a left-right thing.
WAGNER: No, but—
COLBERT: It was an autocrat-non-autocrat.
WAGNER: But we got to take the wins when we get them, and when you have a march that's the largest public protest in 55 years, that is a win for democracy. That is a citizenry that is alive and awake and engaged and that is foundational to American democracy as much as anything else is. So, that is a big deal. And I’m, honestly, I get it, it happened five days ago, and, like, democracy has been further shredded since then, but take that moment and put it in your pocket and remember the people still care.
COLBERT: Right. And you’re not alone—
WAGNER: And you're not alone.
COLBERT: — because a fascist wants you to think that you are alone—
WAGNER: Exactly.
COLBERT: — and you’re the only one who’s upset.
WAGNER: Exactly. And—
COLBERT: Pardon my pointing.
WAGNER: — And the other piece is I think you are seeing, perhaps a little bit too late for a lot of people, but nonetheless you are seeing a Democratic Party that is united in principle in a really serious showdown with this Republican administration, shutting down the government, because they care about Americans having access to health care. They care that the sickest and the weakest among us do not have the very safety net that keeps them alive shredded. I think that is so admirable, and it's a set of cajones I did not know congressional Democrats had. So, like, kudos to that.
