Without the staff of writers at “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” the show would be called “The Late Show with a guy rambling about ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and boats for an hour,” host Stephen Colbert joked Monday as he expressed support for the Writers Guild of America ahead of its strike.
In preparation for the news — which ultimately came down late Monday with the WGA strike moving forward — the late night host then took a moment to predict some upcoming headlines and debut jokes that will likely land in the coming weeks.
The staff prepared news stories “that we’re pretty sure could happen in the next couple of weeks,” Colbert said, before giving a proposed update on the legal battle between Disney and Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
“In Florida, Disney has prevailed in his first amendment lawsuit against Ron DeSantis,” the host said. “As part of the settlement, DeSantis performed three months of community service poop-scooping after Sully from ‘Monsters, Inc.’”
At the White House, Colbert said, “Joe Biden has officially announced he’s running for reelection in 2024. Yes, I know why he already did that. But he keeps doing it. And that’s one of the reasons why people are so worried.”
The host also took a shot at former president Donald Trump. “Adding to his list of legal troubles, the former president has been indicted for using child labor at Mar-a-Lago, but in his defense it’s nearly impossible to find anyone willing to play with Eric,” he joked.
Colbert also took a shot at the industry. “In the world of entertainment, the Barbie movie has broken box office records thanks to a steamy, full frontal scene where you can see all of Ken’s smooth lump.”
In support of the WGA strike, Colbert joked that it “means that writers might have to do something totally against their nature. Go outside.”
Noting that he’s a member of WGA, Colbert displayed a photo gallery where he joined two dozen writers from his show. “They’re so important to our show,” he said.
“This negotiation impacts our whole staff,” he continued. “of course, who worked so hard to bring you this show every night which is why everybody including myself hopes both sides reach a deal. But I also think that the writers demands are not unreasonable. I’m a member of the Guild. I support collective bargaining this nation owes so much to unions.”
Watch the full segment from “The Late Show” in the video above.
