November 16, 2015 — Bill Maher, Capt. Florent Groberg, Shepard Fairey, The Acro-Cats

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Episode GuideEPISODE NUMBER: Season 1, Episode 45 (Monday, November 16, 2015)
GUESTS: Bill Maher | Capt. Florent Groberg | Shepard Fairey | The Acro-Cats
FEATURING: Colonel Jack Jacobs
SEGMENTS: Jon Batiste & Stay Human Perform the French National Anthem | We Stand with the People of France | The World Is United Against ISIS, So What Do We Do? | Colonel Jack Jacobs | Bill Maher | Florent Groberg | Shepard Fairey | A Performance by the Amazing Acro-Cats
SUIT REPORT: Blue Suit | White Shirt | Navy Striped Tie

A full week of shows is ahead of us and Monday’s episode wasted no time to take us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Words of solace and inspiration, heated exchanges, politics, art, acrobatic cats- and who the fuck is Steve?


Monologue - We Stand With The People Of France

In the face of tragedy Stephen has always managed to find the right words that provide us with comfort and laughter, and last night was no exception. From the band’s rendition of the French national anthem to the Parisian take on the Late Show opening and on to Stephen’s heartfelt monologue, the message was perfectly (and beautifully) clear: we stand with the people of France.

I wanted to start my show tonight by once again offering our thoughts and prayers to the people of Paris. New York is a city that sadly knows too well the horror the French experienced on Friday, and we also know there are no words that can reach the depth of their grief and their shock. But we stand with the people of France as a friend and an ally and offer the hope that there is a way through the unspeakable tragedy.

For Stephen, this was also a time to remember all the great things France has provided the US with throughout history.

  • Let’s take the opportunity to thank France for what they’ve done for us. They’ve given the United States so much over the years: aid to General Washington in our fight for independence, key intelligence on how to put potatoes in boiling oil, my favorite way of kissing, half the continent at a bargain price- no take-backs, guys!- and most of all, France gave America our enduring symbol of freedom.

And support for France can take many shapes and forms, as Stephen explained:

  • Twitter was deluged with statements of support, from the hashtag #PrayForParis to messages like ‘In support of what is happening in Paris, my wife and I are watching Ratatouille.’ And ‘Watching Ratatouille to honor all the citizens of Paris.’ Is that wrong? No. Is Ratatouille a French film? No. Is it a valid expression? Absolutely. Because watching a cartoon Parisian rat make soup is certainly as valid as anything I will say tonight, I promise you that.
  • We asked ourselves, ‘Is tonight an appropriate time for Acro Cats?’ And then we asked a bigger question: ‘Is there ever an appropriate time for Acro Cats?’
  • I don’t think ISIS would like Acro Cats. I don’t. They’re cute and they’re silly, two things ISIS hates. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that they’re a bunch of pussies.


The World Is United Against ISIS, So What Do We Do?

Stephen then took a closer look at how world leaders plan to proceed in their fight against ISIS, from military options to semantics.

  • So the international community agrees on two things. One, the only way to wipe out ISIS is to send in ground troops. And two, not it.

CBS This Morning: President Obama referred to ISIS several times as ‚Daesh‘- that’s a derogatory term for the group in Arabic.

  • Yes, Obama’s now calling ISIS ‚Daesh‘ which is an acronym in Arabic that ISIS considers an insult. Mr. President, as long  as you’re calling them ‚Daesh‘, why not go all the way and call them ‚douche‘?
  • In fact, ISIS has managed to bring the whole world together: the US, Russia, Western Europe, Iran, and China have all condemned ISIS. The last thing that so much of humanity agreed on this much was that none of us would go see the Fantastic Four.

Stephen welcomed NBC military analyst and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Jack Jacobs for additional insight.

Colbert: They have nothing to negotiate, right? They’re not looking for anything from us.
Jacobs: No, everything is non-negotiable. They want you to die, and they want to die themselves. It’s just a matter of time.
Colbert: So how do we give that to them?


Interview - Bill Maher

Stephen welcomes to the show Emmy winning producer, author, comedian and host of Real Time with Bill Maher, Mr. Bill Maher himself.  At the jump, Maher immediately offers commendation to his previous guest, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Jack Jacobs by saying he deserves a promotion for his sobering thoughts, which Colbert chimes in that he’s known for ‘telling it like it is’. 

He touched on his thoughts on ISIS and the ideas of the traditional Republican of wanting to simply “wipe them out”, and this brought about some laughter with the term Republican being brought out.  “Just the name gets a laugh”.  Stephen partakes in with the audience laughter, to which Bill says to him, “You used to be a Republican” and Stephen responds with “I don’t know what you’re talking about”. Back on topic, regarding “wiping them out”, the party says this, but Maher claims that this idea is an old Vietnam-era model,  thusly resulting in a few more comedic jabs between he and Stephen.

Maher Body Counts. Remember Vietnam?
Colbert I don’t. I’m much younger than that. :smiles: I don’t know. Who is this Nixon you speak of Bill?Maher Probably a guy you voted for. Anyway…

Back on topic, he claims that you cannot knock any organization off the map. You have to “wipe out the idea”, and places his opinion on the matter of terrorists sharing information, ideas with those that are following the Islamic religion.

Maher: We have to change those ideas. Women as second-class citizens, gay people don’t deserve to be alive. These are mainstream ideas unfortunately. Liberals have to say no quarter for those types of ideas.

A few other points of quirky, and what some found as “tense” banter, followed:

Colbert: They say at dinner parties you should never talk about sex, politics or religion. Have you ever been invited to a dinner party in your life? Are there things you won’t talk about?
Maher: I probably wouldn’t be invited to your dinner party because we’re very opposite.
Colbert: Really, how so?
Maher: Well, you’re married and religious.
Colbert: Yeah, I’m married and I give religion a shot.
Maher: Oh, I thought you were a practicing Catholic.
Colbert: I am, doesn’t mean I’m good at it. Honest to God, I suck at it… you were raised Catholic?
Maher: I was raised Catholic.
Colbert: C’mon on back, Bill. :laughs: The door’s always open… Golden ticket, right before you. All you have to do is humble yourself before the presence of the Lord, admit there are things greater than you in the universe that you do not understand and salvation awaits you. Take Pascal’s wager, if you’re wrong you’re an idiot. But if I’m right, you’re going to Hell.
Maher: I do admit there are things in the universe I don’t understand. But my response to that is not to make up silly stories or to believe intellectually embarrassing myths from the Bronze Age, but you believe whatever you want.

They discussed brief parts of his time on his hit 90’s show, Politically Incorrect, and how ideas still come to him for emerging himself into politics, which he claims is easy. A funny analogy regarding Donald Trump, Ben Carson and t-rex hands closed out the interview.


Interview - Capt. Florent Groberg

In a truly moving interview Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Florent Groberg told Stephen about tackling a suicide bomber to save his patrol and how he honors the memory of the teammates he has lost.

Colbert: Where did you find it in you to grab someone that you knew was wearing a deadly weapon and drag them away knowing you could detonate?
Capt. Groberg: It’s just the way we are. It’s the way we’re designed, it’s the way we’re trained, the way we love each other, you know. It’s brotherhood.


Interview - Shepard Fairey

Stephen sits down with Charleston, South Carolinian “neighbor” and artist Shepard Fairey, who is best known for his Obama HOPE poster from pre-election 2008. Another work of art he was best known for is the OBEY poster featuring Andre the Giant. Shepard explains that these two posters are similar in that they go along with his philosophy of questioning authority and cynicism. The HOPE poster was more of an optimistic gesture and when asked his current opinion of the president, Fairey admits he was proud of Obama for blocking the Keystone Pipeline during his presidential tenure.

Shepard promoted his new book, ‘Covert to Overt’, which focuses on how he built his entire career upon bringing art to the streets where people live and not just for elitist environments. He believes in the power of art.

Fairey: Art has incredible potential to stimulate intellectually and visually. It should be visceral and democratic and accessible.

He shares some of his thoughts regarding the attacks in Paris, as he is about to travel there for a work-related project. His installation in Paris will be at the UN Summit and benefit climate change.

In an adorable closing segment, Stephen shared his and Shepard’s grade-school yearbook photos, as they are alums from the same elementary school in Charleston, South Carolina.


Performance - The Acro-Cats

The show concluded with the moment we had all been waiting for- a performance sure to please cat video aficionados all over the country and just enough silliness to tie it all together.

tumblr | factoseintolerant

What did you think of the show? Let us know in the comments!

  • enchiladaplate

    That interview with Bill Maher was *super* uncomfortable. Not Stephen - he seemed like he was having a great time. But Bill looked really pissed! What was up with that?

    • sharilyn_j

      He’s looked like that since about ’98.

      • enchiladaplate

        Ha! Well, it seemed worse last night.

  • Marla Selinger Lecin

    Wow - I have never seen such a perfect example of Colbert’s “Love the Bomb” as the Acrocats! The handlers dealt with the uncooperative cats perfectly - it’s obviously happened before! (“Ta-da! Scratching the carpet, ladies and gentlemen!”)

    I loved seeing Stephen prance on stage to “perform” when the cats wouldn’t come out. He must have been laughing his head off….

    • Jennifer (aka ColbertsLassNC)

      They were terrible and I felt awful for the group, though you’re right… his prancing about the stage was the perfect save to what would have been more tragic for them! The cat ears were an added bonus I didn’t see coming. 😉

  • Erika Bade

    This was a very enjoyable episode, even filled with so much of what happened in Paris. I thought the opening was a fitting tribute and what Stephen said in his first segment was much needed and very funny and poignant at the same time. I preferred it to John Oliver’s bit, it was much more constructive, but as Stephen basically said….there is no wrong way to go about it if you are trying to connect.

    Bill Maher was a complete dink. I don’t mind him saying what he thinks, but how about having more than one thought in your head? It doesn’t always have to be “I don’t believe in God, I am right, anyone who does is wrong” ALL THE TIME. And I think it’s sad that he feels he cannot get along with someone who is “religious” and married. It limits his dinner party invites quite a bit, which is what he wants I guess. I think that is what threw Stephen for a loop more than anything….his complete inability to get along with an opposing view of any kind which, I’m afraid, is becoming much more prevalent in our society. I still enjoyed the interview for what it was, and I liked Stephen throwing out all propriety and just going with it towards the end.

    The cats. Oh the cats. I don’t know if it’s because I was in JUST the right mood, with JUST the right amount of wine consumed beforehand, but I haven’t laughed so hard in a long long time. From the very start, with the cat who wouldn’t even come out of his/her cage and Stephen’s voice “Is there ever a right time for Acro-cats?” echoing in my mind, I lost it. And then Stephen prancing by in his ears every so often…..oh man I couldn’t stop laughing, with tears streaming down my face, I’m really surprised I didn’t wake up my family. It was a perfect silly end to a somewhat solemn occasion otherwise. Beautiful poetry.

  • Jennifer (aka ColbertsLassNC)

    Last night’s show had a nice and interesting “balance” to it, i’ll say that much. The beginning along with the tribute to France was beautiful and wonderful… and I have left more of the skewed comments about thoughts on the Maher/Colbert conversation in a different social media medium, and will probably keep it that way. I had high hopes for that interview, and it didn’t really go how I wanted it to. I loved the bit with Shepard and Stephen sharing the memories of going to the same school, though at different times. The cats were pitiful, but as one other Hubster said, it was the perfect “love the bomb” moment. With all that being said, it was still a great episode altogether.

  • Lou

    What a roller coaster of emotions! The beginning of the show with La Marseillaise and the Paris opening sequence made me cry, the desk segment made me laugh through the tears, Col. Jack Jacobs brought a much welcome dose of sanity, and Capt. Florent Groberg’s interview was incredibly moving.

    The interview with Bill Maher was exactly what I expected (wished!) it would be. The contrast between Stephen’s and Bill Maher’s personalities is so stark! Stephen is civil, kind, thoughtful and classy; Maher is — well, let’s just say, none of the above. My feelings about Maher can be summed up with something The Chicago Tribune posted on tumblr a while back, “I have my limits on sanctimonious-ness and a**holery. I’m on level with Jon Stewart, but I just can’t get on board with Bill Maher’s level for long.” Just goes to show that (somewhat) agreeing with someone politically doesn’t guarantee you’ll get along. Some people are just self-rightous, arrogant a**holes. I mean, even Donald Trump was a nicer guest! But, as I said, that interview was exactly what I expected it would be, and I was thoroughly entertained!

    All in all, another fantastic show — poignant, engaging and cathartic (and funny!). I hope I’ll be forgiven for skipping the Acro-Cats segment 😛

  • Stephen and his crew did a beautiful job of honoring Paris. It was lovely that the show opened with Jon Batiste and Stay Human playing France’s national anthem. The Ed Sullivan Theater looked gorgeous with the Eiffel Tower peace signs. Stephen’s words were heartfelt and a wonderful tribute. I loved how they replaced the opening sequence with scenes of France. Everything seemed so fitting and I hope it brought a bit of comfort to anyone affected by this tragedy and to all that watched.

  • Roseha

    I haven’t watched yet because I had enough of Bill Maher after the one time I saw him try to embarrass Conan with his rigid anti-religious people rant, but I will be sure to catch the opening. It sounds very moving.

    • Gina

      I haven’t had a chance to see the whole show yet either, but it seems like Stephen gives Maher a run for his money, but in his usual, gentlemanly way. 🙂

      • Roseha

        I did just watch Stephen’s opening from the show and got teary-eyed. His tribute to France and heartfelt expression of unspeakable sadness was just so moving. It must be so hard to know how to respond to such tragic events on such short notice (even more so at the end of Friday night’s show) and his compassion and the comments about showing any kind of solidarity were just so perfectly expressed.

        I went over to the Late Night Youtube channel on my Roku to watch the Aristocats segments, and even with knowing what would happen it was quite hilarious. I think Stephen and the audience were all loving it.

  • Jaime

    The cats were ADORABLE.

  • Amanda Wells

    This episode had so many wonderful moments, but also there was a few odd moments too. The interview with Bill Maher was so uncomfortable. I felt Bill was wanting to pick a fight with Stephen and Stephen was not having any of it. The whole honor for France was so uplifting. I have to say, the Acro-cats segment had me laughing the hardest. Cats are will known animals that like to do what they want to do and I can see, them not being interested in doing those tricks. Having Stephen running around trying to be a cat was hilarious.

  • Gina

    Thanks for your great comments! It’s so wonderful when an episode really connects with people, and this was one of them. Stephen really loves interviews like Bill Maher’s, even though it appeared to be adversarial. Stephen seems to really enjoy hashing out divisive subjects like politics/religion with someone who has a strong viewpoint. It didn’t surprise me that he dialed it up to 11 with Bill, because Maher can totally take it. I do agree that Maher didn’t come across as the sweetest guy in the world, but it was equally great to see someone with a Catholic point of view take him to task. I like Maher, but I always wanted to tell him that your perspective is fine, but in the US of A I have right to my religious point of view, brother. So Stephen did that for me. (Thank you.)

    When SC isn’t enjoying an interview, or it’s not going the way he wants, which doesn’t happen very often, he’ll either get really quiet (not respond) or change the subject, or look embarrassed. If he’s laughing, he’s genuinely having fun, because he *is not capable* of being fake. (Refreshing on TV, isn’t it?) So if he’s giggling, no matter how crazy it is, it’s all good.

    I also really liked Jack Jacobs. It harkens the days of the “C-desk” guest, and his commentary was on point. I hope the target demos and the ratings gods like this sort of thing, because I do want Stephen to have these kinds of guests on *crosses fingers* We will see :/

    • bleu

      Wonderfully said! I think you’re spot on with what Stephen’s demeanour portrays in interviews, and that he can’t pretend to like things.

      • Gina

        Thanks bleu, I appreciate (yeau.) Stephen is one guy I understand, for one reason or another, at least I like to think. Because he’s introverted by nature, you have to read between the lines. If you’re not sure, just read the body language.

  • llama

    I’d like to offer up a different perspective. I’m not really a big Maher fan myself, but I watched with a tad bit of excitement. I knew that at least this would be an interesting interview. Stephen and Bill have opposite views on religion and I think Stephen is one of the good ones when it comes to famous religious people. He reminds me that not every famous person who is known as a religious person, is an asshole. Also, since I am an Atheist, I did agree with Bill. The hardest part for me as a big Stephen fan was when he said to Bill, come back to the church and then talked about Pascal’s wager. Don’t know if he’s serious when he says this stuff. I’m pretty sure he knew Bill wouldn’t suddenly jump up and declare his rebirth in Catholicism, but still, this kind of thing happens a lot when you’re an Atheist and it does get tiresome. I can’t change my beliefs like that. Anyone who would say, “oh yeah, you know what, I guess I will believe in God” when presented with Pascal’s wager, must not have ever been convinced God didn’t exist to begin with.
    One more thing, not sure why Maher is viewed as grumpy for stating his views about religion. Neil DeGrasse Tyson has expressed very similar views about religion, and in a much similar way, a way that I can only describe as exasperated. Both men get frustrated at the lack of intelligence displayed by some of our fellow countrymen (and women)

  • From the reddit AMA with the Acro Cats tour manager:

    Maddie_N

    When I read “tour manager for a cat circus,” I was really hoping that that meant the Acro-Cats. I loved seeing you on Colbert. What was it like backstage, with the staff and Stephen Colbert? I know he jokingly said on screen that he wasn’t sure there was ever a right time for the Acro-Cats, but was he like that when he was actually talking to you? As a huge cat lover and volunteer at a cat rescue, it sounds like a really fun job. I understand how uncooperative cats can be, so I have a lot of admiration for what you do.

    Sporkbooking

    Thank you Maddie_N! Our experience on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert was amazing. The whole staff (including Stephen) were nice, professional, and supportive! Most of the tech guys told us about their cat (or not cat) family members and appreciated what we do.