During Wednesday’s Late Show taping, host Stephen Colbert responded to the hullaballoo surrounding a crass joke he made about President Trump’s mouth being Vladimir Putin’s “c*ck holster.” Strong objections came from both the right and the left, the former feeling the joke crossed a line as far as what people should say about a president (as if Trump doesn’t cross far more worrisome lines with shocking regularity, not to mention life and death consequences), and the latter taking offense at gay sex being the butt of a joke.
#FireColbert was trending on Twitter by Wednesday morning.
Colbert made it clear he’d change his language choice if he could, but that jokes at the president’s expense aren’t going to stop anytime soon. He stopped short of tackling the perceived homophobia.
The topic then reportedly came up at the beginning of his interview with out actor Jim Parsons, which you’ll be able to hear more about once the episode airs, or almost certainly tomorrow on countless news sites and self-righteous Facebook status updates.
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Until then, you can read his opening monologue remarks below:
Welcome to “The Late Show.” I’m your host, Stephen Colbert.
Still? I am still the host?
I’m still the host!!
Now, if you saw my monologue Monday, you know that I was a little upset at Donald Trump for insulting a friend of mine. So at the end of that monologue I had a few choice insults for the president in return. I don’t regret that. He, I believe, can take care of himself. I have jokes; he has the launch codes. So, it’s a fair fight.
So while I would do it again, I would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be. I’m not going to repeat the phrase, but I just want to say for the record, life is short, and anyone who expresses their love for another person, in their own way, is to me, an American hero. I think we can all agree on that. I hope even the president and I can agree on that. Nothing else but that.
Below is Monday’s monologue that caused all the commotion. The phrase in question occurs in a bleeped out segment towards the very end:
BigDaddy58
Colbert needs a cxck stuck up his ass..Then he can try to be funny! He needs to go back to Pre K joke school and learn how to be funny and maybe find out what respect is all about!
DCguy
Looks like Mo Bro is trying out a new Screename.
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Ejens005
I heart Colbert so hard right now. To guy above, respect is still earned.
1EqualityUSA
“Charministan” made us laugh. E.O. Trump just might call Charministan in the morning, to invite the leader to Mar-a-Pantanosa for spoiled ham and bacteria-laden fish left room temp for too long. An E.O. banning refrigerators next? As for the holster joke, Putin is a latent oppressor, and Trump hires homophobes. Therein, lie the humor and backdrop for that disrespectful bit.
mhoffman953
I’m not sure how those are actually “jokes”, I’d file them more under insults
But the c*ck sucking comment is an insult to gays in the sense that if a man blows someone then that somehow makes that man weak (while ignoring the subject matter of the insult). The same could be said about calling someone gay as an insult.
If this was a conservative or a right-wing speaker, there would be huge backlash and even more people would demand that he lose his job. If the left want to play by those rules, then they should adhere to them.
DCguy
Actually, you are wrong. The jokes insinuates that Trump is doing anything possible to please Putin.
But please, keep on with the falseness. It’s funny when anti-lgbt right wing screenames pretend to give a crap about LGBT rights.
man5996853
Colbert is not a conservative or a right-wing speaker. He has been an ally for years.
If gays demand he lose his job, we deserve to lose him as an ally.
Hyper-sensitive, P.C. bullshit.
mhoffman953
@DCguy
“The jokes insinuates that Trump is doing anything possible to please Putin.”
Ok, let’s switch the roles for a minute. Say Bill O’Reilly had Dennis Miller (a conservative, right wing comedian) on his show and he said the same exact “joke” but with Obama and Jeremiah Wright OR he made the same “joke” about Hillary Clinton and Obama, would you feel the same way?
I’m not sure how saying someone sucks d*ck is supposed to be a hilarious joke. Whatever happened to dirty comedy actually being funny?
James
Phooey.
chip_in_ga
I love Colbert, and loved the “joke’? However, the sucker is always perceived as being the sub, at least while they are performing the act. I have no problem with calling them as we see them, Trump is Putin’s bitch. It gives me no pleasure to have to admit that the leader of the free world is someone’s bitch. As a gay man I am not offended by the joke in the least.
Garth
Nor am I !
kernelt
Amen
Mickeebee68
Colbert got it right first time. Don’t Apologise and don’t give in.
KaiserVonScheiss
That’s the strategy I have to agree with. Never apologise if you did nothing wrong. I didn’t find the joke funny. It seemed like the lowest of low hanging fruit, but there was nothing wrong with it. Everyone is so sensitive and pusillanimous these days. They need to grow up.
Heywood Jablowme
I’m in rare agreement with the Emperor of Diarrhea on this one!
QGridster64
I used to enjoy Colbert. He was funny. In that clip he just sounded like a bitter old queen.
I think maybe we’d better consider just what’s been holstering what. It looks like our boi Stephen may be preggers! (or, he may just have tried to wear his teenage neighbor’s suit jacket on that particular night.)
Donston
The current state of things is so outlandish and tension-filled that it’s not great for comedy. Samantha Bee has found a good way of balancing her anger with actual wit. Colbert has just become a ranting mess. And the “joke” was lame more than it was offensive.
Texasholdem
So it’s ok for you to fat shame Stephen but not ok for him to submissive shame Trump
Raymond
Bitter old queen….. you mean like you?
BriBri
Let’s see him make a lewd joke “n” word about BLM and see how much fun he has!
Alexis
Please, don’t even compare POTUS and BLM. BLM has a just cause that seeks equality and respect, whereas POTUS is a plain idiot that says things on purpose just because he thinks he’s privileged to do so. No comparisons at all..BriBri???
mhoffman953
@Alexis What about when they chant, “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want it? Now!”, is that a “just cause”?
Alexis
@BriBri…given that cops have been recklessly killing black people, it’s understandable. I don’t condone it, but I understand. Unless you’re black or from some other minorities with a different shade of color, you’ll never understand it. Of course, you could always go to some non-white country in Asia or African and see how the local treat you there, and then you might start to understand. It will be like night and day. It’s an eye opener…highly recommended
Texasholdem
I’m so embarrassed at the idiots screaming homophobia. Stop attacking our allies and giving cover to our enemies. Trump is going to sign an EO tomorrow, gays are being killed in Russia and this is what we are worried about? Shameful.
Mort
Seems to me that Colbert’s joke suggests that as far as Putin is concerned, Trump exists merely to service him – not that all “servicing” is demeaning. I sincerely doubt that Stephen Colbert is, as a rule, contemptuous of fellatio and those who enjoy applying it..
In any case, Stephen Colbert is a great friend to open-mindedness and enlightenment. He’s my hero.
charlietex
I think he handled The perceived homophobia of his earlier comment pretty well in this part of his reply, “but I just want to say for the record, life is short, and anyone who expresses their love for another person, in their own way, is to me, an American hero.” I say that was done with style and an apology is something we’ll never get from the actual president. Ever.
MediaGuy
Colbert, pronounced COAL-bert, not pretentiously coal-BEAR is a lunatic cu*nt. And, he does look like a bitter old queen, doesn’t he. Step aside Trump, I’d like to end this controversy by volunteering to be Putin’s co*ck holster. (more bitter old queen terminology). Meanwhile fire this not-funny bi*tch a*ss.
DCguy
Mo Bro, if you’re going to use multiple screenames try varying the content.
Chris
Meh; I thought the joke was hilarious simply because of how rude, crude, and lewd it was. And the humor’s to be found in the fact that Putin’s member is parked in its holster save when it’s being used; in other words, Trump doesn’t even do THAT well, a point that seems to have been missed by the language police.
Louis
I found this guy more funny on Strangers with Candy he was hilarious on that show especially the episode where it looked like he was gonna hug the guy that loved him but instead he pushed him away slowly lol
People are also not remembering that this guy is the same guy that made a transphobic comment on twitter a few years ago so maybe he is an ally to us but not much of one especially not to transgender people.
Texasholdem
Louis, if he were such an enemy of transfolk, why has he had Janet Mock and Laverne Cox on his shows?
Cox has been interviewed by Corden, Conan, Colbert, Kimmel, Myers, Noah, but never by Jimmy Fallon. So maybe he’s the non-ally.
Xzamilloh
See what I mean about how far removed we are in the west when it comes to actual persecution? To think that what is happening in Uganda, Chechnya, and the middle east would be classified as homophobia the way a monologue by a millionaire TV host and LGBT ally would be classified as homophobia.
Mo Bro
Another angry liberal “comedian” goes after Trump with homophobic slurs and his progressive cronies forgive him?
Wow, this IS news.
DCguy
I love all of the fake screenames claiming that Colbert’s joke was homophobic.
They saw what happened to Roger Ailes, and Bill O’Reilly and figured they would get a little back.
The problem is, those two actually DID something. To right wing bigots, ANY mention of anything remotely gay is offensive, so they have no understanding of what is ACTUALLY offensive.
But nice try, you all probably just boosted Colbert’s ratings another point. The more P.R. he gets for going after Trump, the more his ratings climb.
Oh, and as a side note, I hear Hanity might be out at FOX. Sorry your side is shedding so many bigots off the air.
Kieran
Colbert’s casual homophobia is and should be troubling to all of us. We all know this was a lame attempt to shame the President by accusing him of engaging in homosexual sex with Putin. And of course for smug a s s h ol es like Colbert, accusing someone of being gay is probably the worst insult of all.
KaiserVonScheiss
I didn’t find it funny, like so many jokes from people on the left. But there wasn’t anything wrong with it. There are people out there who think everything is homophobic.
So no, don’t fire Colbert. It makes no sense. If you can take a d*ck, you can take a joke.
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Heywood Jablowme
” taking offense at gay sex being the butt of a joke.”
uh… c 0 cksucking is never the “butt” end of a joke!
JAW
LOL… I laughed.
I have been called cauck sucker hundreds of times by gay friends… and I have also done the same. No Big deal.
I have also been called “You Fuc*er” by plenty of straight and gay men. My response (especially to the straight guys) is… Well if I am the Fuc*er, that must make you the Fuc*ee”… That really sets the straight guys off. and most never call me that again.
The term that I really hate is when the entire LGBT community is referred to as Queers. THAT IS REALLY OFFENSIVE. You may b a queer, but most of us are not. Lets stop that before we attack Colbert.
1EqualityUSA
Said, sincerely, on “Queerty.”
Texasholdem
You dislike the term “queer” but are posting on a website called “queerty”???
Alexis
I am very surprised with how many gay conservatives are out there…Either they are closeted married men that pretend to be christian (just to be saved) and cheat on their wives with men (I’ve met quite few) or they are just plainly delusion thinking that the conservative base supports their sexuality. I guess they just don’t mind being beaten and bruised by them…some sort of Stockholm syndrome perhaps.
crowebobby
I don’t think the “c*ck holster” remark was meant as a joke. I think it was meant as a very effective insult because the person/people it was aimed at would take it as an insult. A “straight” man sucking another “straight” man’s c*ck is any entirely different act than that same “act” being performed by a gay man intent on giving or receiving pleasure from another man.
James
Bingo.
Richard 55
It was a bi-phobic slur, not a homophobic slur. Liberals don’t like male bisexuality.
MrKnowItAll
Nailed it
Richard 55
Colbert is an obnoxious liberal turd who used a bi-phobic slur. Stop pretending you didn’t, Colbert.