Scott Kowalczyk/CBS
Stephen Colbert Monday’s live edition of “The Late Show” began with a pre-recorded opening segment (filmed around 7 p.m. ET) discussing the weekend’s assassination attempt. Donald Trumpcommented on opening night before going live with his monologue. Republican National Convention Just as originally planned.
“America was nearly plunged into a great tragedy on Saturday when a 20-year-old gunman shot and nearly killed a former president and today’s 2024 Republican nominee at a political rally in Pennsylvania. My initial reaction when I saw this on Saturday was horror at what was happening, relief that Donald Trump was alive, and frankly, sadness for our beautiful country.”
Colbert noted that the attempted attack led to the deaths of rally participants and said he would begin his show with a solemn opening from behind a desk, similar to previous shootings in the US.
“But I could start the show groaning on the floor, because how many times do we have to learn the lesson that violence has no place in politics? The whole purpose of a democracy, as the saying goes, is to fight differences with ballots, not bullets.”
After a young friend remarked that he could not believe an assassination attempt could happen in the United States, Colbert said, “I’m old enough now that one of my earliest memories is sitting in a darkened room with my sister watching my parents’ little black-and-white TV and seeing Bobby Kennedy’s casket on a slow train traveling from New York to Washington.”
He noted that violence is wrong on both sides of the political spectrum, “whether it’s the result of extreme politics or mental illness,” from the shooting at a Republican baseball practice that left Steve Scalise seriously injured, to the plot to kidnap and kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, to the hammer attack that nearly killed Paul Pelosi, to the horror of January 6th, and now this attack.”
“The shooter appears to have had conflicting or confused motives, at least by the standards of today’s sharp left-right divide,” he wrote, noting that the shooter was “a young man barely out of boyhood” and reportedly donated to Democratic groups in 2021 and registered as a Republican the same year.
“So we may never understand his motives, and that’s not necessarily our job,” he said. “Our job as Americans is to reject violence and violent rhetoric in this time of crisis, no matter how much we want to fight for our ideas. And in that respect, violence is not only evil, it’s futile.”
Colbert added, “In the wake of Saturday’s attack, many Americans from both parties, from President Biden to Speaker Johnson, are calling on all of us to change the way we see, treat and talk to one another. And we don’t know if that will happen. The opposing ideas remain. So this week we’ll do our best to discuss those ideas, the people who represent them, and much more with our guests. And with a bit of luck, we might even get a fart joke in there.”
After the opening, Colbert returned with a true monologue, taking advantage of the live nature of the episode to comment on the speeches, gaffes and awkward moments that took place throughout the first night of the Republican National Convention.
With so much to discuss during the live broadcast of the show, Colbert continued his monologue in the second act after the first break, beginning with the announcement that “Pillsbury jerk” J.D. Vance had been selected as the vice presidential candidate.
Colbert also addressed the “horrible bullshit” issued by federal Judge Eileen Cannon in Florida when she dismissed a classified documents lawsuit against former President Donald Trump.
Monday night marked the late-night show host’s first opportunity to comment on the weekend’s events. “Late Night with Seth Meyers” The show’s host condemned the “horrific” assassination attempt on President Trump on Saturday, elaborating that “political violence must be condemned in all its forms,” but also criticized how certain right-wing political forces responded to the attack.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will air live from the studios at New York City’s Ed Sullivan Theater this week, Monday, July 15 through Thursday, July 18. Monday’s show featured guests former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and a performance by Bikini Kill.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and singer Loudon Wainwright III will appear on “The Late Show” on Tuesday, while actor Glen Powell and host/radio personality Charlaman Tha God will appear on Wednesday’s episode. The week will close out on Thursday with a performance from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and OneRepublic.
Next month, Colbert will be broadcasting from Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre during the week of the Democratic National Convention, which runs from Monday, August 19th to Thursday, August 22nd in Chicago.
