Awww, that Daily Show reunion was going so well until breaking news had to intervene.
More accurately, it wasn't the breaking news that President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey was so deliciously awkward -- it was the wildly enthusiastic reaction to that news from Late Show host Stephen Colbert's audience.
To celebrate his 20th anniversary on television, Colbert invited several Daily Show alum to last night's Late Show, including Jon Stewart, Samantha Bee, John Oliver, Ed Helms, and Rob Corddry.
While The Late Show airs at 11:35 p.m. Eastern, it is recorded late in the afternoon -- which coincided yesterday with the stunning news of Comey's dismissal. First came Colbert breaking the news of the breaking news to his audience --
Then came the subject's inevitable appearance with Colbert's first guest, Jon Stewart --
COLBERT: Do you know that James Comey was fired by Trump, right?
STEWART (eyes widening, mock surprise): What?! (laughter from the audience)
COLBERT: I got a question for the audience. When I said (previously) that Comey was fired by Trump, you all cheered -- w-why? (more laughter) Is it because of what he did to Hillary? (cheers and applause from audience)
STEWART (pointing finger at audience): No!
COLBERT (reminding audience of proper response to Comey firing): But you know he's investigating Trump's campaign's ties to Russia ...
STEWART: Yes!
COLBERT: ... which will now evaporate like cotton candy in the ocean.
STEWART (aware that Colbert is losing audience): No, you know what you got? You got, they were riding a wave. That was like a beginner's surfers class where they were like (mimicking a struggling surfer), I'm standing up! Oh no, wait! (audience laughs after being insulted) Oh no, now I'm on my knees! Hold on! Which it was -- I hate that guy, I love that guy, but Trump did, and they didn't know how to feel, and it was interesting to watch.
COLBERT (anxious to change the subject): Well - what - listen - you live on a farm now, OK ...
Turns out the timing was great -- because who better than leftist comedic Yoda Jon Stewart to explain away the Colbert audience's cheering of anything Trump has done, but most especially this. After all, as Stewart desperately explained, the unsophisticated rubes seated before them "didn't know how to feel" (Translation: they know not how to think) and Stewart -- resorting to slapstick -- gyrated his way toward pointing out their impropriety. For which they cheered, laughed and applauded -- thank you for reminding us we're morons! And for that brief shiny moment, The Late Show was hilarious, though not in the least as Colbert intended.
