When Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the presidential nomination Tuesday night, briefly joining the Democratic National Convention in Chicago via video from an energetic rally in Milwaukee, it marked a “truly historic moment,” at least according to Stephen Colbert.
“(It’s) the first time that a Milwaukee crowd has ever cheered Chicago,” he said.
Colbert took the stage Tuesday at a packed Auditorium Theatre for a second night of broadcasting his “Late Show” in Chicago during the DNC. He chatted with guests Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries and added a touch of humor directed toward Chicagoans, after primetime convention speeches wrapped up a few miles away at the United Center.
During his opening monologue, Colbert poked fun at Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ back-to-back speeches, which made for a bit of awkward programming. After Sanders railed against the “billionaire class” buying elections, Pritzker followed up the message that although Donald Trump claims to be rich, “take it from an actual billionaire, Trump is rich in only one thing: stupidity.”
“Bernie got us psyched up attacking billionaires, but we like this guy,” Colbert said, mimicking the convention audience. “It’s an emotional and moral roller coaster.”
“I love Pritzker, but every time he appears on stage I think his first word is gonna be Yabba Dabba Doo,” Colbert added.
Colbert also welcomed actress Laura Benanti in her role as a Melania Trump impersonator to the show, live from the convention. She questioned why Harris gets to have a husband who’s a gentleman — potentially the first first gentleman — when she “(gets) that jagoff,” before commenting on her time in Chicago.
“It really does seem like you’ve taken to Chicago,” Colbert said.
“Oh, it’s wonderful. The food is so rich here I could marry it,” she replied. “The only thing I don’t like is that big silver monument built for my husband.”
“You mean the Trump hotel on the river?” Colbert asked.
“No, I’m talking about the Bean,” Benanti responded. “Whoever did that sculpture has definitely seen his ass in shorts.”
Colbert’s broadcast wasn’t all about laughs. Pro-Palestine protestors interrupted the interview with former House speaker Pelosi, seemingly chanting for an end to U.S. funding for Israel. Colbert offered Pelosi the chance to respond to the protestors, asking what role the United States should play in promoting a “peaceful and prosperous future” for Israelis and Palestinians.
“There must be a two-state solution. You cannot have peace unless you have … a secure Jewish democratic state in the region and Palestinians having their own secure country there as well,” Pelosi said. “Unless you have a two-state solution, we’ll not have the resolution of this.”
Like Monday’s first show in town, Tuesday night’s broadcast went on late, carrying on past midnight due to lengthy DNC speeches.
“The Daily Show” is also shooting all week from the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture in Chicago, complete with a Gov. JB Pritzker bar crawl.