The Precap | Ronny Chieng on Snorkeling Pearl Harbor, Unpacking Eurovision, and Colbert's Last Week

Summary

The Daily Show: Ears Edition – "The Precap"

Episode: Ronny Chieng on Snorkeling Pearl Harbor, Unpacking Eurovision, and Colbert's Last Week
Date: May 18, 2026
Hosts: David Angelo (Daily Show writer), Ronny Chieng (Host for the week)

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Episode Overview

In this lighthearted, freewheeling episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition "Precap," David Angelo sits down with Ronny Chieng to riff on the big stories shaping the current week and preview notable events ahead. The episode covers Ronny’s thoughts on snorkeling at Pearl Harbor (and respect in Hawaii), a playful yet incisive breakdown of Eurovision and its global idiosyncrasies, the viral saga of a looksmaxer in Miami court, and warm recollections of Stephen Colbert’s legacy as he completes his final week on The Late Show. The episode concludes with a reflective discussion on political history’s repetitive cycles and recommendations for staying sane amidst the 24/7 news churn.

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Key Topics & Insights

Fashion Faux Pas and Writer Style (02:04 – 03:08)

• David and Ronny begin with playful banter about podcasting voices and writerly dress codes.
• Quote:
  David Angelo: “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I mean, you do look like a comedy writer … that’s the vibe.” (02:57)

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Snorkeling at Pearl Harbor & Hawaii Etiquette (03:17 – 06:28)

• They discuss FBI Director Kash Patel’s alleged VIP snorkel trip at the Pearl Harbor Memorial, humorously questioning the appropriateness of snorkeling at a solemn site.
• Ronny shares his Hawaii insights: respect is key, and "you get the energy you give."
• Story: A tourist thrown into viral “Hawaii justice” after throwing a rock at a monk seal—a warning about karma on the islands.
• Quote:
  Ronny Chieng: “If you give out shitty energy in Hawaii, they will beat the out of you ... If you're nice, people will give it to you double.” (05:21)
• Top Hawaii tip: Secret waterfall hikes, more than cliché tourist activities.
• Takeaway: Beyond beautiful sights, Hawaii is about mutual respect and appreciating local customs.

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Eurovision: A Deep Dive into International Song Oddities (06:44 – 15:46)

• Ronny and David puzzle over American vs. European song contests.
• Eurovision is surprisingly huge in Australia because of its European diaspora.
• They muse on Australia's participation, famous winners like ABBA and Celine Dion (who represented Switzerland), and how song competitions differ in focus.
• Quote/Insight: Ronny Chieng: “Eurovision, they do the same song through all the rounds… isn’t that weird?” (08:47)
• Discussion: What if America joined with celebrities like Taylor Swift or Kendrick Lamar? Would Europeans vote against the U.S. just on principle?
• Quote:
  David Angelo: “European songs, they're a little in the same lane all the time… like national anthems, very synth-heavy.” (13:26)
• Musings on continental differences: from serving sizes to electric outlets, Europe just “does things a little weird” compared to the U.S.
• Quote:
  Ronny Chieng: "All these continents feel like different planets to me—in a good way." (14:22)

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Viral News: “Looksmaxer Clavicular” Gets Mogged in Miami Court (16:10 – 19:10)

• Dissects the case of a “looksmaxer” (someone obsessed with maximizing attractiveness) known online as Clavicular, who was “mogged” (upstaged physically) by a judge in court after shooting an alligator.
• Quote:
  David Angelo: “He’s full timing, trying to look as good as possible. Then the judge... slaps on a black robe, steals the show.” (18:17)
• Pokes fun at internet culture, the absurdity of viral fame, and the bare minimum needed to outshine in classic settings.

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Colbert’s Last Week on The Late Show: Reflections & Industry Lore (20:12 – 27:22)

• The hosts reflect warmly on Stephen Colbert’s career as he wraps up The Late Show after 10+ years.
• Ronny credits Colbert as the first to “let him on the couch” (not just as a stand-up), sharing a behind-the-scenes story of returning a decade-old Colbert Report wristband and a chain letter of correspondent advice passed among Daily Show alumni.
• Quote:
  Ronny Chieng: “He dictated [correspondent advice], Rob Riggle wrote it down, gave it to Klepper, who gave it to me… 15 dot points, it’s like a secret chain letter.” (23:47)
• Discusses the cultural value of late-night shows, the magic of institutions like the Ed Sullivan Theater, and worries about the loss of these comedic pillars.
• Quote:
  Ronny Chieng: “There's something about that late show format that’s not just very American, but actually very entertaining.” (27:55)

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Trump and Republican Primaries: Party Drama (30:16 – 33:00)

• Light coverage of Trump’s efforts to unseat Republican incumbents in local primaries, with musings about the political risks of replacing established figures with “kookier” candidates.
• Recognizes the cyclical nature of American politics and the persistent influence of personalities over policy.

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Daily Show & Tell: Used Bookstore Finds and History Lessons (33:35 – 37:52)

• Ronny shares finding a 1992 presidential election narrative ("Quest 1992") that feels eerily current in its depiction of voter discontent, echoing Chomsky’s “two factions of the business party” critique.
• Quote:
  Ronny Chieng: “I'm reading the book and the situation … might as well be 2024.” (35:51)
• David brings up old episodes of "Politically Incorrect" to note that culture-war issues are constantly repackaged; everything from gender debates to economic discontent seems to cycle every couple decades.
• Both agree on the importance of historical perspective in keeping news anxiety at bay.
• Quote:
  Ronny Chieng: “Things aren’t as bad as they seem … there’s always a lesson from history if you look.” (37:31)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you're nice in Hawaii, people will give it to you double. If you're not nice, they will give it to you double too.” — Ronny Chieng (05:21)
• “European songs, they're a little in the same lane all the time… like national anthems.” — David Angelo (13:26)
• “He was the first person in America to let me sit on a couch anywhere.” — Ronny Chieng on Colbert’s collegiality (20:54)
• “Tape is free. So keep taping. … To do satire, really well, you kind of have to leave your conscience hanging on a coat hanger.” — Colbert’s advice via Ronny Chieng (24:24)
• “I'm reading [about] a young upstart that no one actually thought would win … [and] it might as well be 2024.” — Ronny Chieng (35:51)
• “We’re rebooting, literally, all the issues we ever get upset about.” — David Angelo (37:06)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Writer banter, podcasting voices: 02:04 – 03:08
• Snorkeling at Pearl Harbor/Hawaii etiquette: 03:17 – 06:28
• Eurovision & song contest musings: 06:44 – 15:46
• Clavicular looksmaxer saga: 16:10 – 19:10
• Stephen Colbert’s legacy and behind-the-scenes: 20:12 – 27:22
• Late-night institutions & American comedy: 27:42 – 28:55
• Trump v. Republican incumbents: 30:16 – 33:00
• Used bookstore, 1992 election history & recurring political themes: 33:35 – 37:52
• Wrap-up and credits: 37:53 – End

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Episode Tone and Style

The episode is conversational, witty, and frequently self-deprecating. Both hosts riff on news and pop culture with a playful, irreverent tone, constantly veering from big-picture satire to oddly detailed personal anecdotes. Their approachable style and mutual roasting make for a light yet insightful listen, balancing comedy with social observation.

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For Listeners: Why This Episode Is Worth Your Time

• Humorous, honest reflections on the weirdness of both global pop culture and American traditions.
• Behind-the-scenes access to comedy world rituals and lore (the fabled “Colbert chain letter”).
• Anecdotes and debates that humanize bigger political/cultural stories, making news less intimidating or alienating.
• History as a comfort, reminding us that cycles and absurdities in culture and politics are nothing new.
• Fun speculation—what if Taylor Swift went to Eurovision?
• Plenty of laughs, especially if you appreciate meta-commentary on comedy itself.

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For a fresh take on both the serious and the silly sides of the week, Ronny Chieng and David Angelo dish out both—with a healthy side of humility, and, of course, a few good jabs at each other.

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Catch Ronny Chieng hosting The Daily Show this week on Comedy Central, Paramount+, and right here on Ears Edition!

Transcript

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[David Angelo]

Morning decisions. How about a creamy mocha Frappuccino drink? Or sweet vanilla smooth caramel maybe? Or a white chocolate mocha? Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks Frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries. You're listening to Comedy Central. Hello and welcome to the Pre Cap, a Daily show podcast where we sit down with this week's host of the Daily show to recap some of the latest news and also preview what might be coming up this week. I'm David Angelo, writer on the show and I'm joined today by your host for the week, Ronny Chang.

[Ronny Chang]

Hey, David. You know, you really could become a npr.

[David Angelo]

You think so?

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, your voice.

[David Angelo]

I just don't have the drive, you know, that's the problem. I tried it once and I. The problem is I only have this.

[Ronny Chang]

No, but that's fine.

[David Angelo]

It's monitor. But it doesn't. I can't do.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, but there's a way where this

[David Angelo]

is, you know, there's like one.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's a gig. There's a gig where this is, you know. Hey, you got the velvety voice, man. You got the velvety voice.

[David Angelo]

Well, thank you, Ronnie. It's always nice doing a podcast with him. And we totally see what you're wearing

[Ronny Chang]

on the video podcast.

[David Angelo]

I know what's going on. We were both. Before we started, you were dressed just as terribly as me. And then you went because you have a wardrobe privilege here. And then you went and got a full on designer wearing Ferragamo suit. These are $1,200 shoes. And now I look like I'm just on the Bus?

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. You came off the bus.

[David Angelo]

And I have no way to get. I can't refine it. What am I gonna do? Take the hoodie off? I look worse.

[Ronny Chang]

Well, you're wearing a polo. At least you're wearing a collar. Shoe.

[David Angelo]

There is a. There's probably stains. I don't even know.

[Ronny Chang]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I mean, you know, you do look like a writer. Comedy writer.

[David Angelo]

That's true. We're supposed to be kind of.

[Ronny Chang]

That's the vibe.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. Quirky type of thing.

[Ronny Chang]

Quirky and, you know, focus on the craft and.

[David Angelo]

Right, right. I'm just in my head and thinking up ideas. Speaking of, should we segue into. What were we talking about? The news that we've missed.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

So this week we had. FBI Director Kash Patel went to Hawaii.

[Ronny Chang]

Yep. Yep.

[David Angelo]

And he got a VIP snorkel trip at the Pearl Harbor Memorial.

[Ronny Chang]

Interesting.

[David Angelo]

Oh, that's a weird. That's a weird place to snorkel. The memorial.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, I guess. I mean, I don't know.

[David Angelo]

It's like throwing a party at. Birthday party at the 9 11. Snorkeling.

[Ronny Chang]

As someone who goes to Hawaii a lot. Specifically Oahu, which is where the Pearl Harbor Memorial is. I mean. Yeah, I guess if you're in Hawaii, you do go snorkeling. I mean, look, if My only thing is what was. Was his duty, what was he doing in Hawaii? Why. The FBI doesn't need to be in Hawaii.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. They're going to crack open the case on the Pearl harbor attack. We're this close to finding out who did this.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. So. So I. I don't mind. I guess people need vacations, but. Yeah. I just want to know why is this. Is this an official duty thing? Is this. You know, what was he doing in Hawaii? Was he. I just need more details on this. Let me.

[David Angelo]

They do get away. Have you ever been snorkeling?

[Ronny Chang]

Snorkeling? Yes. Snorkeling, Yes.

[David Angelo]

I did it once. I had a panic attack.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, it's. You have to get over your.

[David Angelo]

Because you have nothing.

[Ronny Chang]

You have nothing. And you have a tube in your mouth. Yeah, that's it.

[David Angelo]

It only works if you're, like, right at the surface anyway.

[Ronny Chang]

Yes. And even the new age ones. I don't know if you've seen the new age snorkels where it's a whole mask and the. The tube sticks out the middle of the head. So. Versus the. The traditional snorkel that we think about, where it's a visor and then a Tube coming out of your mouth. There's one that covers your entire face so that it's supposed to be easier to use so you can breathe normally because it's not just your mouth. But guess what? That thing causes carbon dioxide poisoning because it doesn't work properly. You can't win. You can't win.

[David Angelo]

Stay safe out there. If you're, if you're trying to snorkel in Oahu, what else do you do? What's the, what do you see? If you're in Hawaii, what's the must do?

[Ronny Chang]

If you're in Hawaii, the, the thing, the only thing you must do is give out the energy that you want to receive. You know, cuz that's what happens in Hawaii. If you give out shitty energy in Hawaii, they will beat the out of you. And if you, you remember that guy threw the rock at the Monk seal? Oh, this didn't reach your algorithm?

[David Angelo]

No, no.

[Ronny Chang]

So this guy, this white guy from Seattle threw a rock at like an endangered seal in Hawaii. And he was kind of really like, whatever, guys, I'll pay the fine. And then the next video of him was him getting his ass beat by Hawaii Justice. So, you know, Hawaii, the only thing you must do is you get the energy that you give out. And if you're nice in Hawaii, people will give it to you double. If you're not nice in Hawaii, they will give it to you double too. But to answer your question specifically, I know you're asking more about.

[David Angelo]

I know I was like, what about Tom's Barbecue or something?

[Ronny Chang]

I know you could go for a hike. And Hawaii is all about going for hikes. You know, everything else is kind of whatever, but go for the secret waterfall. Hikes. Hikes. That's what you got to do in Hawaii. That's my, that's my tip.

[David Angelo]

That is a good tip. You know, today's sponsors is Hawaii, Hawaii island nation of Hawaii. Well, our state.

[Ronny Chang]

No, it's a state.

[David Angelo]

It's a state. Now we're really up to current events here. The show, what else is happening? Eurovision.

[Ronny Chang]

Oh, yeah, Eurovision.

[David Angelo]

So Eurovision, for those of you, the American viewers, is a very intense song. It's kind of like American Idol but for songs, right? Is that how you would describe it?

[Ronny Chang]

Isn't American Idol for songs?

[David Angelo]

No, that's for singers. Oh, but what you're like American Idols. Like, we're like, I'm an idol. I'm the singer that you're gonna. Kelly Clarkson.

[Ronny Chang]

Oh, I never thought of it like that.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. And Eurovision, although you're right because the group is also presenting the song. But it's really like, here's the song of our country.

[Ronny Chang]

That's an interesting. That's an interesting distinction, because I didn't think about it like that. The reason I know anything about Eurovision is because for some reason it's big in Australia.

[David Angelo]

And why is Australia. They couldn't be further away.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

What are they. But in their head, it's into.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, so. So Eurovision, they would broadcast it in Australia for many, many years. It'll be like on the free to air thing. And I think because Australia has the largest population of Greeks outside of Greece, they have, like, I'm pretty sure, the largest. Maybe the second largest population of Italians outside of Italy and America. So they have a very. And they're very European. If you've been to Australia, it just feels very European. It's closer to Europe than it is America. Well, at least until recently, but. So I think it really found an audience there. And then I remember, like, just before I came over to America 10 years ago, they sent a team to join Eurovision. So they didn't participate. They just were like a very happy audience watching it. And then they were like, hey, you love Eurovision. Hey, come join in. So they send Australian to Eurovision.

[David Angelo]

So, wow.

[Ronny Chang]

You know, and one thing that was interesting about Eurovision when I watched it again, this is over 10 years ago in Australia, Eurovision, they would. You know how it's like brackets, Right. So it'd be first round, second round, semifinals, finals. It's a competition, Right. They would do the same song.

[David Angelo]

Oh, yes.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. The whole time through.

[David Angelo]

Isn't that weird?

[Ronny Chang]

That is weird. Yeah.

[David Angelo]

You'd think, well, give us another one, because then it's hard to keep voting for the same thing. Like, oh, yeah, we still like this. Yeah, but I guess they only. They only bring like one. One or two, right?

[Ronny Chang]

I mean, they bring. When I saw it, they brought one. Maybe. Maybe if they went to the finals, maybe they had a second one. I don't remember that. But how do you. How do you know anything about your.

[David Angelo]

Barely. I just want to say I barely know.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, but how do you even know anything about it?

[David Angelo]

Who's the big. Is. Did ABBA win Eurovision?

[Ronny Chang]

Maybe.

[David Angelo]

Is that what it was?

[Ronny Chang]

Maybe.

[David Angelo]

Is that, like, the one group that ever cross over?

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. I don't know.

[David Angelo]

45 years ago, I think that's been ABBA and I think Celine Dion. Celine Dion. But she's Canadian.

[Ronny Chang]

Well, she's not even Canadian. She's Quebecois.

[David Angelo]

She's Quebecois.

[Ronny Chang]

Here we go. Here we go with the.

[David Angelo]

We're Googling it. We know she's Quebecois. She won 1988. See, we should have had more of like a. How come. Has America. Are we. Does America representing Switzerland?

[Ronny Chang]

How is she representing Switzerland? And under what. Under what context? What's she representing?

[David Angelo]

Very bizarre.

[Ronny Chang]

What? You can just send Celine Dion as Switzerland.

[David Angelo]

Oh, yeah. Maybe they drafted her.

[Ronny Chang]

They drafted her.

[David Angelo]

They're like, we. We want to stay neutral.

[Ronny Chang]

I mean, you know, other thing about Eurovision, I don't think. I don't think the UK sends anyone.

[David Angelo]

The UK is very weird about not being European.

[Ronny Chang]

I understand. I know, but you would. I'm just saying. They did.

[David Angelo]

I know. They're right there.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, they're right there, you know, and

[David Angelo]

they have the best songwriters. Yeah, right.

[Ronny Chang]

They got the pipes. They sent Adele. She'll have swept Adele.

[David Angelo]

Susan Boyle, you know, get in there. She sent Susan Boyle that one year. We were all impressed with Susan.

[Ronny Chang]

Oh, they should have sent. What? What's the boy band?

[David Angelo]

One Dimension. One Dimension.

[Ronny Chang]

One Direction. We are really.

[David Angelo]

I had an unintentional slam on them. Sorry. One Direction. There was a time I ran into Harry styles twice within 24 hours in Los Angeles. Once at Cafe101. We were both leaving at the same time. I didn't know who he was.

[Ronny Chang]

Right.

[David Angelo]

He just was a person. But we were the only two people in there. It was very late at night. Then the next day, we're at Trails Cafe in Griffith Park.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

I go to the. Get a coffee, he's there, the same guy. I still don't know who he is, but it's like I ran into you. Literally. We were the only two people at that cafe. And now we're standing in this other one getting coffee, broad daylight, and there was a commotion around him. And I'm like, is this a famous person? And he had a rose tattoo on his shoulder. And I Googled it and it was Harry Styles.

[Ronny Chang]

Right. But did you guys. Did you guys give each other, like a head nod at least?

[David Angelo]

Yeah, I think he. It was. It was so bizarre because I clearly wasn't stalking him because it was so random.

[Ronny Chang]

Right. And you are you.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. And I didn't know who he was.

[Ronny Chang]

Right, right.

[David Angelo]

But he must have been like, well, this is so bizarre.

[Ronny Chang]

But he did give you a bit of acknowledgement.

[David Angelo]

Yeah.

[Ronny Chang]

Oh, cool.

[David Angelo]

You guys. I think he was just like, what's happening?

[Ronny Chang]

Right.

[David Angelo]

Like, I was in his head. I might have been like a CIA. Like, there must have been something weird with what was going on when you

[Ronny Chang]

saw him, you didn't think he's extremely good looking and.

[David Angelo]

No, he was. And he was very cool.

[Ronny Chang]

Right. And so his vibe, you're like, this guy's someone famous.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. And then. Cause the first time I saw him, it was just the two of us, that we were a different, you know, not eating together, but we're the only two people in that restaurant.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

And then this time it was in public and there were like 30 people around and it was getting very chattery. The way, you know, when it's like there's a famous person and no one wants to say anything, but everyone's gotten like a different demeanor.

[Ronny Chang]

Oh, I.

[David Angelo]

You get that all the time.

[Ronny Chang]

I get that all the time. So just to explore this Eurovision thing, if America was to send someone to try to sweep this take, you know, take over Eurovision.

[David Angelo]

Well, we. Can we send Taylor Swift.

[Ronny Chang]

Oh, if we send Taylor Swift, we would.

[David Angelo]

You think we win? I feel like the Euro, they would vote against us. On principle.

[Ronny Chang]

Yes. They would vote a principal. But. But because now you're just playing for the clips. Right. So you will win on the Internet. But. But also Eurovision. Interesting you brought up the singer song thing because I know what you mean by Eurovision. Vision is more focused on the song because they put a lot of production value into the song. It's like costumes, there's like lighting design. And Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift, that's what she does. She has that, you know, she's got the thing.

[David Angelo]

She's got that it factor, you know.

[Ronny Chang]

Can you imagine if. If America sent like, you know, Kendrick Lamar or someone like a hip hop? Yeah, we could, you know.

[David Angelo]

Have they had a hip hop?

[Ronny Chang]

No, well, not I know of. They probably have like Irish hip hop or something.

[David Angelo]

Eurovision, I will say this and, you know, leave your hate in the comments, but European songs, they're a little in the same lane all the time, right?

[Ronny Chang]

A little bit, Anthony. A little bit like national anthems. A little bit, you know, they sound a little bit like national.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. Or. Yeah, it's just kind of like they have. And it's very synth heavy. They kind of have like a sound.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, but they do have a sound, you know, that's fair to have a Euro sound. You know, a euro beat.

[David Angelo]

I think I could win Euro. We don't need to send Taylor. Okay. I think I could go do this.

[Ronny Chang]

Hey, this is cool, man. I like it. I'm not. I'm not a hater.

[David Angelo]

I'm like, you're not a hater.

[Ronny Chang]

I try not to be a hater with Art, you know.

[David Angelo]

Right. I've caused an international calamity with my comments, probably. On what?

[Ronny Chang]

On this.

[David Angelo]

Yeah.

[Ronny Chang]

That's okay. Europeans aren't listening to this.

[David Angelo]

I'm going to be a little bit. We're going to be in trouble, Ronnie. Internationally, on this episode of the podcast.

[Ronny Chang]

I like it. I like that they have a thing and it's euro and it's different to America. You know, it's like. It's cool. All these continents feel like different planets to me. In a good way. You know, it's like when you go to Southeast Asia, it's like a different planet, you know, it's.

[David Angelo]

It's true.

[Ronny Chang]

It's different. You go euro, it's a different planet. It's what they do there. They sing the same song six times to win a competition and, you know, it's got this very distinct bead. It's cool.

[David Angelo]

It is true. Europe is. Everything's a little weird, you know, like, weird to us.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

You know, just because it's different.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. I did a. I did my first comedy tour of Europe, first ever last year, and it was eye opening. It was great. They serve food, it's, you know, it's like a quarter of the serving of American size.

[David Angelo]

Right.

[Ronny Chang]

And you look at it and you're like, is this a war ration? Why is it so small? You. You eat it and you're like, oh, this is the perfect amount.

[David Angelo]

Right. Because it's like half of its heavy cream.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. No, they just knew the old world, they didn't have unlimited resources and so their serving size was reasonable. And in America, we got so much abundance, they feel like to have a meal, you need four times the amount that you know you're supposed to have, but you don't. So that's true.

[David Angelo]

And now we're all on Ozempic.

[Ronny Chang]

Now we're on.

[David Angelo]

Maybe we're going to go Eurozempic. So Eurostar, it wins out in the end eventually. The European portion size is what we're all gonna adopt.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, yeah.

[David Angelo]

But, yeah, Europe, it's like, you know how their outlets are just a little different.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

Like, that's for everything.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

And their phone numbers have, like, question marks in them.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[David Angelo]

Phone number will be like 18 letters and a number, right?

[Ronny Chang]

Yes.

[David Angelo]

I don't know. Anyway, Bulgaria, we love you, friend of the show. And I'll be in Sophia. See, I know the capital of Bulgaria, which. How many people could.

[Ronny Chang]

Not many people watch that be the wrong.

[David Angelo]

I think that's the city. Anyway, Eurovision. Let's move on to looksmaxer. Oh, yeah, clavicular. Got mogged recently. Not mugged. Mogged by a chad judge in Miami. So clavic. All of these words. This is like a new vocabulary.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, this is. This sentence. I truly did not know what any of these words meant other than Miami.

[David Angelo]

Miami. Yeah, we'll use that as a key and we'll work around that. So looksmaxer, clavicular, mogged by chad judge. So what he is is he's a looksmaxer, Meaning he's trying to be as good looking as he can possibly be. I'm a looks minner. You know, I really. I lean in the other way. I'm just, I don't know what's going. I haven't seen my own hair in weeks, so I don't know what's going on. But he was in court. Do we know why he was in court?

[Ronny Chang]

I don't know why he was in court. Oh, oh. Alan told me this before the show. He was in court because he shot an alligator.

[David Angelo]

He shot an alligator.

[Ronny Chang]

I'm guessing for the Internet.

[David Angelo]

Well, that is a.

[Ronny Chang]

Or was it self defense?

[David Angelo]

Self defense. I mean, that's. That's a good case.

[Ronny Chang]

Sure, sure.

[David Angelo]

You know, cause an alligator. I didn't get you.

[Ronny Chang]

I. I'm glad that he's going to court for this, but I am surprised that it's illegal to shoot an alligator in Miami. You know, I thought they would just let it, you know.

[David Angelo]

You thought they would let it fly.

[Ronny Chang]

Let fly.

[David Angelo]

You know, I just want to know if. Did somebody help the alligator and perhaps render Gatorade? Leave your comments below in the comments.

[Ronny Chang]

And the thing. We'll never see any of that.

[David Angelo]

What a strange thing, you know, so.

[Ronny Chang]

So anyway, back to, you know, the theme of this topic is that the judge who I'm assuming put in no effort, it looks better than this dude who broke his facial bones to look smashed.

[David Angelo]

He's full timing, trying to look as good as possible. And then the judge who has a law degree slaps on a black robe, steals the show.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. Maybe some bride cream. That's it. That's all he's gotten. And he looks good.

[David Angelo]

So that's the arrest punishment. You know, he doesn't even care about the verdict after that. He just knows he's got mogged. Poor clavicular. What's his legal name? He can't show up to court like that. Right.

[Ronny Chang]

Clavicula.

[David Angelo]

I mean, your honor, my client, Clavicula.

[Ronny Chang]

I mean, maybe he changed it. Maybe he changed it to oh, Braden.

[David Angelo]

That's his Braden. Eric Peters.

[Ronny Chang]

Three first names. Last time I read about Clavicula I thought he OD'd on meth. Because he OD'd on camera or something.

[David Angelo]

Yeah.

[Ronny Chang]

So I'm surprised. The next time I heard about him he was in court and looking.

[David Angelo]

Shooting an alligator no less. I mean he rebounded, right?

[Ronny Chang]

He rebounded really well.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. So he's doing all right. Good for you. Clavicular. We wish you well in your quest to Max. Zootopia 2 has come home to Disney. Let's go get ready for a new case. We're going to crack this case and prove for the greatest partners of all time. New friends. You are Gary the Snake. And your last name the snake Dream team. New habitats. Zootopia has a secret reptile population. You can watch the record breaking phenomenon at home.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

You're clearly working it.

[David Angelo]

Zootopia 2 now available on Disney Plus. Rated PG. Oh, you know what, we gotta look ahead too. So on the podcast on the pre cap, we don't just review what happened, we look ahead to what might happen. And this week when you're hosting we have a couple things going on. We have Stephen Colbert's final week of shows. Hosting the Late show on cbs.

[Ronny Chang]

Yes, yes.

[David Angelo]

So I don't know how many years. It had to have been at least 15, 10.

[Ronny Chang]

10. Yeah. Because he started the show when I started here.

[David Angelo]

Wow.

[Ronny Chang]

So 10, maybe 11.

[David Angelo]

Yeah.

[Ronny Chang]

I remember he legendary correspondent. Great satire with the Colbert Report. You know the kind of satire where like both sides of the political spectrum would both watch the show and get something out of it. He took over the Late show and you know, I, I, he was always very nice to me. He actually let me on the couch. He was the first person in America to let me sit on a couch anywhere.

[David Angelo]

Not even just on tv. We're very protective of the living room furniture.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

And how many times have you done the Late Show?

[Ronny Chang]

Only once. That was the only time he let me on and I was super grateful. He was very kind to me.

[David Angelo]

And did you do this? You did a set?

[Ronny Chang]

No, I sat, I was just came straight out. I was a guest. Yeah, I was a guest on the show. Which a little bit of showbiz behind the scenes. They don't let dirty comics be guests on late shows.

[David Angelo]

Right.

[Ronny Chang]

You know, you go sing for your supper. But Colbert was like, he let me sit on the couch with him, which is very nice. You know, so. And I remember it was a weird, the, the universe was weird because the, a couple months before I got, I was a guest on, on the Late show of Colbert. I was doing a show in Boston and it was the day after Trump got elected. And I was literally like, you know, a day after. So I was doing the show and we were talking about it on, on, on, on. At this stand up show in Boston. After the show, someone came up to me and gave me this Colbert wristband that apparently Colbert gave out 10 years before then. So it's 20 years at this point. And he gave it out to people. And the bit on the Colbert Report at that time was like, I'm gonna give this to people. And then the mission is to get these wristbands back to me. You have to figure out how to pass it on back to me. Colbert. Okay, so this guy came up to me after the show and he's like, hey, I got this wristband from the Colbert Report. And he, the idea is to give it back to Colbert. And so I'll give it to you because I, he gave it to me because he said I would have a better chance of meeting him.

[David Angelo]

Right.

[Ronny Chang]

And at that time I didn't think I was going to meet Colbert, but I just took it and then I went on the Colbert Report, the Late show and I gave it to him

[David Angelo]

and he was like, what's this?

[Ronny Chang]

He was like, what is this? He was like, I don't know what this is. And you know those wristbands that cool. The silicone wristbands that were like cool 20 years ago, right?

[David Angelo]

The Lance Armstrongs.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, the Lance Armstrongs. They don't, they don't age well. They become like wet.

[David Angelo]

Wet.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, over if. Gooey, like wet. Like if you touch the Livestrong now they're like wet. So it was like this disintegrating silicon thing. Probably, you know, it's probably toxic. And I, I gave it back to him and he looked at, he was like, oh yeah, okay, cool. And he, I think he probably threw it away. And then the other thing that Colbert was really good about was that there's actually a, a chain letter that gets passed from correspondent to correspondent of Colbert, advice on how to be a correspondent. And he dictated it and I think Rob Riggle wrote it down and gave it to Klepper who gave it to me. And it's this chain letter of how to do, how to be a correspondent on a Daily show. And it's like 15 dot points.

[David Angelo]

Wow. Yeah, that's kind of a secret insider knowledge there.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, it's like when you write letters

[David Angelo]

to the President, you know, I Never heard of that. That letter. And then you've held on to it not to give it to anyone else.

[Ronny Chang]

No, I gave it to. I send it to the other correspondents, the guys who join the show. I always say I always send it them. I feel a little weird saying to them because it feels like a little culty. But it's good advice about how to, you know, be a correspondent on the show.

[David Angelo]

Is there any tidbit you can. Is it secret? I feel like we're not allowed to talk about it.

[Ronny Chang]

No, it's not that secret. It's, you know, it's very, very practical stuff. Like, tape is free. Yeah. So keep taping. Meaning when you're doing a field piece, just keep going. It's. It's okay. Don't stress. It's not a live show.

[David Angelo]

Right.

[Ronny Chang]

He said stuff like. Yeah. To do satire, really well, you kind of have to. You kind of have to leave your conscience hanging on a coat hanger in the office.

[David Angelo]

Right.

[Ronny Chang]

You can't bring it with you. Yeah, just stuff like that, you know. Pretty mean stuff. To do satire in America, you kind of have to be a bit, you know, you have to be a bit fearless. So he was basically, you know, espousing those values. And. No, it was great.

[David Angelo]

What were you promote. Were you promoting like a movie or was it a Daily Show?

[Ronny Chang]

I think it was Daily Show. I didn't have. There was no reason he should have had me on the couch, and he did because he was being nice to alumni.

[David Angelo]

What was the Green Room like that? That's the Ed Sullivan Theater.

[Ronny Chang]

Legendary theater.

[David Angelo]

The Beatles.

[Ronny Chang]

The Beatles, Letterman.

[David Angelo]

So you played the same room as the Beatles, I guess.

[Ronny Chang]

You know, and it's a dream for all comics, I mean, of. Of, I guess, our generation, you know, we're just under that generation. But to. To be on Letterman.

[David Angelo]

Right.

[Ronny Chang]

And we never got to do it, you know.

[David Angelo]

Well, yeah, here's my Letterman story, just to tell you so you can gauge the level of comic. I am. Kumail got on Letterman. So I went to go in the audience because I knew Kumail.

[Ronny Chang]

Oh, yeah.

[David Angelo]

So I went to go see the taping of Letterman, and I was leaving. I was going to Europe a few days later. So I was backstage and I took some cardboard boxes so I could pack something. I was moving and I took cardboard boxes from the Ed Sullivan Theater to pack. So there's two different ends of the spectrum of show business. Right. You know, you have your Colbert sending me letters, and me, I'm just looking for loose cardboard. Move out of My studio apartment.

[Ronny Chang]

Where did you find the cardboard?

[David Angelo]

It was just in the, in the backstage at the time when Letterman was there. It was really kind of run down. Like the theater area.

[Ronny Chang]

Yes.

[David Angelo]

And it was just there were all these cardboard boxes and I was like, can I take some of these? That's my brush with, like, you know, TV fame.

[Ronny Chang]

And were they useful?

[David Angelo]

Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, honestly. And I remember that I don't even remember the taping, but I do remember being like, wow, this is where the Beatles were and all that stuff.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah, it's cool. Show business is cool. Also, there's. Hello Deli. I don't know if you remember. Next to. Right. On the same building as Letterman.

[David Angelo]

Right. Angelo's Pizza.

[Ronny Chang]

Angelo's Pizza is there. But hello Deli is more famous because Rupert G. The owner of the deli, would get on Letterman.

[David Angelo]

Oh, right, right, right.

[Ronny Chang]

You know, so I would go there just to order like sandwiches. They're like Asian people, so I'm still friends with them.

[David Angelo]

Right.

[Ronny Chang]

I'm still friends with Rupert G. And I think it's his wife. I'm not sure. But this is Asian woman. She loves comedy. I always invite her to my shows and all that.

[David Angelo]

Oh, wow, look at that. See? So, yeah, Colbert's last episode Thursday.

[Ronny Chang]

Yes. And I don't know why they're getting rid of the show. You know, I mean, like that. I'm always a fan of American comedy institutions and so just. Even as a, Just put it out there. Even as a loss leader marketing show to promote your movies.

[David Angelo]

Right.

[Ronny Chang]

As.

[David Angelo]

Oh, right. You know, just as part of the conglomerate of, of Paramount.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

You know, to be able to say, we're here in a big theater in Manhattan.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

You get a crowd every night. Yeah.

[Ronny Chang]

Crowd every night. Who are excited to be there also, by the way. I mean, you know, obviously we're biased, but I think there is something about that late show format that's not only very American, but it's actually very entertaining. Like making topical jokes of the day. Right. Like that's. It's fun. Like it's. If you actually watch it, it's. It's fun when people are doing like. Yeah, yeah, A monologue. It's about the day's topics. It's, it's, it's funny. It's what, you know, that's, it's light hearted. I mean, I know the Internet has replaced a lot of that, but I'm just saying. I don't know, I just don't get it. You know, keep it, keep it Going.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. And there's good variety. You get music acts. Come on.

[Ronny Chang]

It's a variety.

[David Angelo]

You get some actors, you get to hear them talk. And. Yeah, all I can tell you guys is the Daily show will be on.

[Ronny Chang]

We're still kicking every.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. Every week moving forward. Right?

[Ronny Chang]

Yes.

[David Angelo]

So this. This episode of the podcast is going to crater the whole.

[Ronny Chang]

You jinxed it.

[David Angelo]

Yeah. They're going to be like, we got too many negative comments about a writer that nobody knows with a host that nobody knows. What's your IMDb star meter ring? What is it?

[Ronny Chang]

I don't.

[David Angelo]

Are you top 100?

[Ronny Chang]

I don't know. I don't know. I don't even know what that is.

[David Angelo]

That's how hot. That's big. That's big. Star level. If you don't even know. I know mine. Geez.

[Ronny Chang]

Is a cardboard box. Yeah.

[David Angelo]

My eye. My. My photo and.

[Ronny Chang]

Oh, my God, Alan, Don't Google. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. This thing. Don't do it. Don't do. I don't know.

[David Angelo]

Let me see. Ronnie, you need to have a. You need to have premium. Just so you know. So you can't even.

[Ronny Chang]

Don't have premium. So we can't afford it here.

[David Angelo]

We can't afford premium.

[Ronny Chang]

Don't do it.

[David Angelo]

But I mean, look at these photos. This is a page.

[Ronny Chang]

Is it.

[David Angelo]

This is a page of a very high ranked person. We're seeing candids. We got posed portraits.

[Ronny Chang]

Okay.

[David Angelo]

Look at these credits.

[Ronny Chang]

Look at the ratings.

[David Angelo]

You're in Devil Wears Prada, too.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

As yourself. Oh, my God. That is a dude. That's the flex of maybe all year. As yourself. And yeah.

[Ronny Chang]

Don't look down at your popcorn. You're gonna miss it. I'm there for like two seconds, so.

[David Angelo]

That's incredible. That's out in theaters now, Right? What else do we promote?

[Ronny Chang]

Nah, it's all right.

[David Angelo]

I feel like I forgot what I'm supposed to do.

[Ronny Chang]

You're supposed to talk about.

[David Angelo]

What's that? What else is happening?

[Ronny Chang]

So Trump is. He's kind of getting involved in the local Republican primary elections. Right.

[David Angelo]

Trump is getting upset because he's getting scorned by certain Republicans and he wants revenge on them. So they have primaries and he wants to run someone against them.

[Ronny Chang]

He's going out of his way to.

[David Angelo]

Right. Totally unnecessary. It's already a Republican who has the thing, but he doesn't like the person.

[Ronny Chang]

Yes. Yes.

[David Angelo]

So he's running challengers to those people he dislikes.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. And I so what I don't understand is that isn't this one. It's actually kind of surprising that he is successfully getting these guys out because the people he's getting out are quite respected Republican senators and congressmen, I think.

[David Angelo]

Right. So I don't know much about Bill Cassidy.

[Ronny Chang]

Okay.

[David Angelo]

He's a senator, I think.

[Ronny Chang]

But these are like. These are like veterans. You know what I mean? These aren't like. These guys have been there for a while.

[David Angelo]

I mean, it does speak to the political process that the incumbents rarely get primaried.

[Ronny Chang]

Right.

[David Angelo]

You know, it just rarely happens. So in this case, Bill Cassidy, who's the Louisiana Republican who voted for Trump's impeachment, is gonna get replaced with a new MAGA forward.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. Who?

[David Angelo]

I don't even know who it is.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. But again, I mean, my question is like this. Wouldn't this make it harder for the Republicans to win the actual election? Because if you have like a kookier guy.

[David Angelo]

Right. I guess it depends. Like in Louisiana, it's very likely that the Republicans gonna win. No matter. Because it's not really a swing save.

[Ronny Chang]

Right, right, right, right.

[David Angelo]

I don't know where Thomas Massie is. He's. Oh, but he's Kentucky. He's Kentucky. So the Republican will probably win there too. So in those cases, I think it's. But there were times, remember, they had that guy, Roy Moore. Was that Louisiana or Alabama?

[Ronny Chang]

That's Alabama. That was Alabama.

[David Angelo]

And they're like, Roy.

[Ronny Chang]

Charles Barkley was. Yeah. Involved in it.

[David Angelo]

He was.

[Ronny Chang]

He was campaigning for the Democrats in Alabama.

[David Angelo]

And I think the Democrat then won.

[Ronny Chang]

He didn't. I can't remember.

[David Angelo]

It's always tough to get us off script on politics stuff because we don't know.

[Ronny Chang]

We don't know anything.

[David Angelo]

Most of our day is spent Googling.

[Ronny Chang]

You know what, Alan? That was a mistake. Even bring up this topic. We tried. Yeah.

[David Angelo]

Let's go back to a cat falls off a roof in a viral video.

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[David Angelo]

Oh, Daily show and tell. This is our final segment where what we do is we go over things that we've been watching, reading or listening to or something that's just been on your mind lately. Ronnie, has anything been of interest?

[Ronny Chang]

I was in Syracuse, I think it was New York, doing a standup show. And my thing is I would go to used bookstores in every town I perform in just to take a look around. And, you know, I found this book from 1992 that was about the presidential election. Though the title is weird. I think it's like Quest 1992 presidential election. It's by the Newsweek journalists. So it's written by a team of journalists, but it's written it like this goes back to, you know, the skill set of writing because is written like a narrative. So if it's entertaining, I mean, look, it's obviously very political. So if you're not into politics, you. You probably think it's boring. But the way it's written is not like academic paper. It's written like a narrative. They're telling the story of the 1992 election. You know, Bush senior coming off of the victory in Iraq thinking he's riding high as an incumbent and getting, you know, upset. This upset victory, upset loss by Bill Clinton, a young upstart that no one actually thought would win at the time. So I'm reading this book and I'm reading the first few pages and they're describing America. That's where people are unhappy at both parties, where the populace thinks that there's no. There's not even two parties. They just think it's the same party, you know, doing essentially the same job. But they just seem to be. They're just calling themselves two different.

[David Angelo]

Two factions of the business party.

[Ronny Chang]

Exactly.

[David Angelo]

Noam Chomsky would put it.

[Ronny Chang]

Yes. And they also are upset at the professional class of kind of civil servant in America. They see these people as not great leaders. And this upstart billionaire third party candidate who is immensely popular as an independent third party candidate. I'm reading the book and the situation is it's laying out is like it might as well be 2024.

[David Angelo]

Right.

[Ronny Chang]

Honestly. So things are just.

[David Angelo]

They never really change that much, huh?

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. So I think, you know, the perspective it gave me the book was something like as unprecedented as we think things are, I mean, they probably aren't. You know, there's always. There's probably historical lessons we can draw upon, you know, in. Even though America is a very young country, 250 years old this year, I think there's a lot that we can draw upon in terms of making a better future just based on our recent history. 1992.

[David Angelo]

Right. It is true. I mean, I was watching an episode of Politically Incorrect.

[Ronny Chang]

Wow.

[David Angelo]

With Bill Maher on YouTube, and it was the same thing of like, I cannot believe these are the. These are the same topics we're talking about 25, 30 years later. And they were talking. It was like gender on college campuses. It was even the stuff that you think is really.

[Ronny Chang]

So this episode was like 20 years old.

[David Angelo]

This was from like the late 90s or something. And they're like, oh, we're doing like, non binary gender. It was like, what? I thought this was like, fresh and hip. They've been talking about this for 35 years.

[Ronny Chang]

Right.

[David Angelo]

It's kind of interesting. Like, you notice that they, you know, sometimes people get on Hollywood for repackaging and rebooting, and it's like we're rebooting, like, literally all the issues we ever get upset about. It's like, we could go back to the 1960s.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. And I wonder what the lesson is from that, you know, because unfortunately, I haven't finished a book yet, so I.

[David Angelo]

The lesson is probably that we never solve any problem.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah. We never solve anything. All the lesson. Okay. Yeah. How about this for a lesson that things aren't as bad as they seem, you know?

[David Angelo]

Right. They're hyped for. For engagement.

[Ronny Chang]

Yeah.

[David Angelo]

They've been doing that for a long time.

[Ronny Chang]

Yes. Just, you know, drink electrolytes, read books, vote properly, and everything will be okay.

[David Angelo]

And watch Eurovision.

[Ronny Chang]

What's your vision?

[David Angelo]

All right.

[Ronny Chang]

Okay.

[David Angelo]

Well, I think we've successfully navigated that only a few scandals we had.

[Ronny Chang]

Right. Hopefully we might get this whole channel get taken off YouTube.

[David Angelo]

Right. There were some rough spots, but it was mostly me. And I think you'll weather the storm. All right. That's all the time we have for the pre cap. I'm David Angelo. Catch Ronny Chang hosting the Daily show this week on Comedy Central, Paramount, and right here in podcast form on the Daily Show Ears Edition. There's not really an ending to this. On the Daily Show Ears Edition, you can end anything. You know what? I did the wrong inflection. I went too big. Right here in podcast form on the Daily Show Ear Edition. That's what I should have actually gotten on. Next time, explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.