Stephen Colbert surprised viewers by delivering fresh material — from his bathtub — at the top of Monday’s “Late Show” rerun. “Late Show” was expected to be all encores this week after CBS and other networks hastily suspended production on most late-night shows to comply with coronavirus protection guidelines.
Decked out in his usual dark suit, Colbert delivered his monologue segment from a bathtub filled with bubbles.
“If you’re watching this from home right now, know that you’re doing the right thing,” Colbert told viewers of the social distancing guidelines that have up-ended life in the nation during the past week.
“On behalf of the socially anxious everywhere, let me just say — way ahead of you,” Colbert joked of the new edict for Americans to stay home as much as possible.
“Late Show” delivered two ten-minute segments that aired at the top of the hour. The telecast then segued back to the scheduled rerun with guest Jim Carrey that originally aired Feb. 5.
Colbert poked fun at the awkwardness of work-from-home mandates, predicting the U.S. economy will see “a huge spike in the number of people finally cleaning their stoves.” He held up the now familiar charts tracking the potential growth curve of the spread of the COVID-19 virus and urged viewers to adhere to social distancing guidelines to slow the rate of infection. But with so much time at home for stress baking, Colbert noted, holding up a pear tart, “I definitely will not be flattening my curves.”
The “Late Show” host did his usual skewering of President Donald Trump. He also took aim at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who garnered criticism for taking in one last workout session at his YMCA in Brooklyn on Monday before the facility closed. Colbert ribbed the mayor with a satirical spin on the Village People’s 1978 disco hit “YMCA.”
“It’s fun to stay at your h-o-m-e, cuz if you don’t we’ll be d-e-a-d,” Colbert warbled.
Colbert closed his segment by observing that Americans have not so much been called to do something in the face of the public health crisis but to “don’t” something, which should come naturally to many couch potatoes.
“We all have to don’t our part,” he said. “All that sitting on our asses and watching TV was actually training to save the world.”
Colbert’s monologue was followed by one of the show’s “Uninformed Correspondent” segments featuring Bootsie Plunkett, mother of “Late Show” producer Jake Plunkett, on a visit to a doctor to discuss coronavirus precautions.