INTERVIEW: Who Is The Real Stephen Colbert? And What Does He Think Of Sacramento?
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Who is the real Stephen Colbert and what are his real political views?
Many debated the topic in the years when Colbert played a conservative pundit on The Colbert Report for nearly a decade on Comedy Central.
Now he says we're about to get the unfiltered Colbert who seems to relist discussing politics, and one candidate in particular.
SAM SHANE: How political will the show be and talk about Donald Trump?
COLBERT: Well, people mistook my old show for being a political show in that it had political intention rather than talking about politics. We're still going to talk about politics but it's not going to be a political show. Every late-night show talks about politics and talks about the news. We have a particular skill at doing that after doing a parody of news for all those years. And I'm starting my show at the best possible time—Sept. 8th, the day after Labor Day is actually when the real political campaign begins. Regardless of all the debates or meetings or sturm und drang that's going on right now. And I just pray to whatever subhuman gods that are out there right now at the depths of the oceans to protect their children that Donald Trump can stay in the race until Sept. 8 and when I say subhuman nether gods, Mr. Trump, I mean that complimentary.
SHANE: Are you as surprised by this as everyone else is?
COLBERT: I am in no way surprised Donald Trump is doing well.
SHANE: You're not?
COLBERT: He's a shiny object. What does the news want to do? The news wants to tell a story. You know, I know that truth and beauty are tattooed on the back of every newsman's neck but really you want to tell a story. And what better story is to have an unkillable blowhard billionaire who doesn't have to answer to anybody and will say the craziest things that come into his mind among a group of 17.
SHANE: In a way, isn't it good for the process when....
COLBERT: I think it's excellent for the process. Nothing could be better for democracy than having Donald Trump running for president. And should he win I would stand up and salute him and hope that he never memorizes the nuclear launch code. (laughter) That's the art of the deal, that's the art of the deal, you wanna talk about leverage, the nuclear launch codes. 'Hey, you don't want to give me the variance on this hotel? Boom! (laughter) Boom! I got a four-letter word for you. Boom!'
From politics to music, Colbert loves to entertain. But he says what he looks forward to the most as the new host of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert is interviewing his guests.
COLBERT: What's there to do in Sacramento at night?
SHANE: At night? A lot of wonderful restaurants. You can go to a Sacramento Kings game; they're building a brand new arena downtown.
COLBERT: Do they have like an Old West boardwalk area?
SHANE: They do. Yeah, have you been there?
COLBERT: Yeah, I went there once.
SHANE: Yeah, it's right on the little river, the Sacramento River. It's called Old Sacramento.
COLBERT: That's a very inventive series of names. (laughter) Where do you people come up with these?
SHANE: It's iconic
COLBERT: Uh-huh.
SHANE: So that's pretty much it, that's what we've got goin' on there. Ya gonna come on by?
COLBERT: I would love to
SHANE: Would you?
COLBERT: I would love to. Let's take a month and do the show from Sacramento.
SHANE: Stephen, thank you very much, it's been a pleasure to meet you.
COLBERT: Pleasure for me too. Hey, we'll be right back Northern California.
