Is Stephen Colbert going to block North Carolina-based viewers from watching The Late Show because of that state’s discriminatory HB2 law? No, he said Tuesday night, he’s going to give them all the late night TV they can handle.
In a cold open for The Late Show Tuesday night, Colbert responded to the news that North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed controversial House Bill 2 (HB2), which prevents transgender people from using public bathrooms based on their self-identified gender preference. Colbert explained that, while other artists, such as Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam, have severed their financial ties with the state in protest, The Late Show would go on.
“I believe it is not my job to deny you my talents,” Colbert explained. “I believe it is possible to use the magic of television to bridge our differences. I mean, for Pete’s sake, even after the Civil War, great figures like Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee believed this country could come together. That’s why I will never withhold this show from anyone.”
Meanwhile, a man dressed as Abraham Lincoln and a man dressed as Robert E. Lee standing behind Colbert shook hands, then made out ferociously.
“I believe we must find common ground and hold firm to those things that unite us all,” Colbert said. “We must cling to each other passionately and really, really just go for it.”