Stephen Colbert kicked off his final week of The Late Show with a “Worst Of” episode, showing off the jokes, ideas, and skits that never made it to air during his 18 years on CBS.
In one example, Colbert recalled how confident he and his production team were that Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 election — and therefore planned to display the phrase “I’m With Her” on the buttocks’ of nude male models, leading to an abrupt change in the middle of a live broadcast.
“During the 2016 presidential election, we were doing a live special on Showtime — no commercial breaks — and as the results started to come in, it became clear that we had planned for a different outcome,” Colbert explained.
“We were so sure that the New York Times‘ prediction needle was right, we hired a bunch of naked male models with the words, ‘I’m With Her’ painted on their full, plump butts,” he continued.
“Sadly, all of those models had to be put down,” Colbert joked, adding, “But first, we tried to save the bit.”
The left-wing host went on to explain that “as the outcome became clear, we re-painted their butts to say, ‘We’re fucked.’”
“Between those two butt bits — and this is totally true — our co-executive producer Matt Lappin was backstage, screaming into his headset: ‘Scrub the butts!’” Colbert revealed.
The camera then turned to Lappin, who admitted to shouting the demand on the night of the 2016 election, as the results rolled in.
“It was a very upsetting night,” Lappin added. “That night, even the butts cried.”
The lackluster episode eschewed any interviews with celebrity guests, though it opened with a cameo from Michael Keaton to deliver a dated Birdman reference.
Colbert had Hillary Clinton on as a guest at least one time every year of Trump’s first term as president.
His CBS show, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, is set to air its final episode on May 21. It will be replaced by an apolitical standup comedy show and a game show, not a talk show.
As Breitbart News reported, CBS announced last summer that Colbert’s show would not be renewed for another season, calling it a “financial decision.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.