Arsenio Hall (Extended)

Summary

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Arsenio Hall (Extended)
Date: April 6, 2026
Guest: Arsenio Hall
Host: Stephen Colbert

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Episode Overview

In this extended interview, late night icons Stephen Colbert and Arsenio Hall dive into Arsenio’s life, legacy, and new memoir, “Arsenio: A Memoir.” The conversation flows through deeply personal stories, hilarious reminiscences from late-night history, behind-the-scenes revelations, and the magic of discovering new talent. Hall’s reflections on surviving adversity, his formative experiences in show business, and friendships with legends like Prince and Richard Pryor provide a rich, nostalgic, and inspiring account of a trailblazer’s journey.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Childhood Dreams and Early Struggles

• Arsenio’s Early Magic:
  • Young Arsenio was obsessed with Johnny Carson, hosting a “talk show” in his own basement called Arsenio: Early Enough (01:46).
  • He began as a magician, even performing with live doves at bar mitzvahs and birthday parties (02:40–03:04).
• Life Before TV:
  • Hall shares how tough money and food were to come by growing up:
    • “You ever gone to the supermarket and put stuff in your cart and eat while you're there?...That's how I used to eat early on. So I just wanted food, man. But I'm happy it all worked out.” (Arsenio Hall, 01:59)

Arsenio’s Eye for Talent

• Spotting Stars Before They Were Famous:
  • Mariah Carey: Tommy Mottola handed him a cassette labeled “Mariah Carey, Vision of Love” at the Ivy, and Arsenio immediately wanted her on the show (03:37–03:54).
  • Bruno Mars:
    • He recalls seeing a tape of a “little boy doing an Elvis impression”—it was young Bruno Mars, who later made it huge. Arsenio says he “thought I lost my touch...and then I heard 24 Karat Magic. That’s him. That’s the kid. I realized you still got it.” (04:11–04:43)
  • Boyz II Men & The Temptations: Michael Bivens tipped Hall off about a new Philly group; Hall then put them onstage with the Temptations, a powerful meeting of generations (08:41–09:04).

Booking Guests: The “Security Leak”

• Creative Guest-Building on a Budget:
  • Arsenio admits to using a friendly “security leak” on the Paramount lot—getting tipped off about celebrity arrivals so he could personally invite them onto his show (05:09–06:09).
  • Memorable moments included Andy Garcia (“I remember begging Andy Garcia to come with me and just walk out in the monologue”) and Whitney Houston surprising him with a pregnancy joke on air (06:09–06:41).

The Prince Connection

• Behind the Purple Curtain:
  • Prince was famously hard to contact—never owned a cell phone.
    • “‘Why do I need a cell phone?’ he said. I [Arsenio] said, ‘So I can find your ass!’” (06:55–07:11)
  • Prince was the only guest who routinely got the entire hour; Hall claims he’d let Prince run the whole show if he were still around (07:15–07:26).

Music vs. Network Demands

• Music as a Cornerstone:
  • Hall pushed more music than most late night shows, despite network resistance—“My bread and butter was music…But the network's like, eh, yeah. And, you know, it's expensive.” (07:39–07:59)
  • This genre-bending led to fresh, integrated moments in television.

Learning from Richard Pryor

• Encapsulating Happiness:
  • Pryor visited Hall’s unfurnished condo and left a lasting impression about what matters:
    • “He looked around this empty condo, one bedroom. And he said, you know, this is when I was happy…when it was simple...the things you buy, the material things, that's not happiness.” (Richard Pryor recounted by Arsenio Hall, 09:31–10:37)
  • Hall emphasizes that not all Pryor’s lessons related to comedy, but often to life and contentment.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being Surprised by Success:

  • “This young man would be surprised that he has food on his table.” (Arsenio Hall, 01:59)

• On Music & Television:

  • “I used to be a little heavy on music... music doesn't always hold the ratings... But my bread and butter was music.” (Arsenio Hall, 07:39–07:59)

• On His Gift for Talent Spotting:

  • “I thought I lost my touch...and then I heard 24 Karat Magic. That’s him. That’s the kid. I realized you still got it.” (Arsenio Hall, 04:43)

• On Booking Prince:

  • “Prince used to ask me for the whole hour, and he was the only one I would give that to.” (Arsenio Hall, 07:15–07:26)

• Richard Pryor on Simple Happiness:

  • “You know, this is when I was happy ... when it was simple. ... the material things, that's not happiness.” (Richard Pryor via Arsenio Hall, 10:08–10:34)

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Major Timestamps

• Introduction & Memoir Preview: (00:27–01:46)
• Early Life, Struggle, and Magician Roots: (01:46–03:17)
• Discovering Talent (Mariah Carey, Bruno Mars): (03:17–05:09)
• Security Leak Guest Booking: (05:09–06:41)
• Stories About Prince: (06:41–07:26)
• Music and Network Pressures: (07:26–08:39)
• Boyz II Men and the Integration of Guests: (08:39–09:19)
• Richard Pryor’s Life Lesson: (09:19–10:37)

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Tone and Style

Throughout the episode, Colbert and Hall riff with warmth and sharp wit, keeping the tone lively but sincere. Hall’s stories are packed with humor, humility, and candor—he’s unafraid to poke fun at himself or dig deep into poignant moments. Colbert’s playful curiosity and respect for his guest drive their rapport, making this episode an entertaining, revealing, and meaningful listen for comedy and late night fans alike.

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Transcript

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

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[Stephen Colbert]

It's the Late Show Poncho with Stephen Colbert.

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. I am so happy to that my next guest tonight is a legend of late night television. You know him from coming to America and as the host of the Arsenio hall show, please welcome back to The Late Show, Mr. Arsenio Hall. Hey, man, it's great to see you. I've interviewed you before over Zoom during COVID but it's wonderful to be with you in the flesh for the first time.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yes. And my mother made you a hat.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. A knit hat.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yeah. She makes you like. You gonna wear a knit hat? Well,

[Stephen Colbert]

this time of year, but yeah, I might wear a knit, knit hat. There's so much to talk about. Let's just get straight to you. Got a new memoir, and my edibles

[Arsenio Hall]

just kicked in, so I just.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm like, this is beautiful. Well, as my elementary school teacher used to say, did you bring enough for the whole class? The new memoir right here. Arsenio A Memoir tells the story of how I want to get to this guy as quickly as possible. This talented aspiring young magician who was obsessed with Johnny Carson and hosted a talk show in his basement. You had your own.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yes. And it was called Arsenio

[Stephen Colbert]

Early Enough.

[Arsenio Hall]

Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

How he became the Arsenio Hall. Would this young man be surprised that it worked out?

[Arsenio Hall]

Um, this. This young man would be surprised that he has food on his table. Uh, you know, when I was young, it was. It was tough goings for a while. I. Have you ever done this? Have you ever gone to the supermarket and put stuff in your cart and eat while you're there?

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure.

[Arsenio Hall]

And then leave the cart and run out in the store? Yes. That's. That's how I used to eat early on. So I just wanted food, man. But I'm happy it all worked out. Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

All right now. Yes.

[Arsenio Hall]

Wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

I have to ask you this. It's very important. Keep in mind that Pete is probably watching tonight. Was this your dove or. That was your dove?

[Arsenio Hall]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

A living dove.

[Arsenio Hall]

Oh, yeah. And I eventually had three because that dove was pregnant.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, wow.

[Arsenio Hall]

And my mother let me have a dove in my bedroom. I had a cooperation, but she had said no to a dog. So I Think for her, she had to say yes. And the dove. Me and the dove made money.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, this is a working dove.

[Arsenio Hall]

Oh, yeah. We did bar mitzvahs and birthday parties.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow. Wow. Are doves hard to work with?

[Arsenio Hall]

No, doves are really easy to work with. They're really peaceful. Thus, there you go.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Now, your show, Arsenio, introduced so many artists that went on to be huge. Mariah Carey, Will Smith, Snoop Dogg, MC Hammer.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

And did you like. Did you personally go like, ooh, I want that. That person seems fantastic. Did you have, like, a special sense of who these people might be?

[Arsenio Hall]

I think so. I remember Tommy Mottola giving me a cassette tape in the Ivy, a restaurant in Los Angeles. And on it it said, mariah Carey, Vision of Love. And I went to the car and played it on the way home, and I'm like, hey, let's find her. You know, And I put her on. Or one time they brought me a tape of a little boy doing an Elvis impression, and I was like, we got to put him on. And Paramount said no, because how old was he? He was an embryo. He was like, no, he was maybe five.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, yeah.

[Arsenio Hall]

You know, they lied about his age, I think. But we created something in the monologue. So it was like a talent show, and he competed against an old lady who sings, and he came out and turned it out, and it was Bruno Mars. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Bruno Mars. Yes. And he never got much bigger.

[Arsenio Hall]

No, no, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

But packed with talent.

[Arsenio Hall]

He is packed with talent. He is still an embryo. And, you know, wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

So you said, that kid's got it.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yeah. And, you know, I thought I lost my touch for picking talent because I said, he's going to be the next Michael Jackson. This guy's going to be big. And then I didn't hear from him for a while. And you have no idea how happy I was when I was sitting in the car and I heard 24 Karat Magic and Bruno, that's him. That's the kid. And I realized, you still got it. I had to touch. Had to touch, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Bruno, you know, these shows are fun to do, as you know, these shows are fun to do. Booking is a big part of it. And I understand you had this special process of booking called the Security Leak. What is the Security Leak? And do you recommend it?

[Arsenio Hall]

Well, see, you're in this beautiful theater. This was the Ed Sullivan Theater, right?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yeah. So you're here. I was on the Paramount film lot.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, yeah.

[Arsenio Hall]

Which is Sky Dance now.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Arsenio Hall]

And. And.

[Stephen Colbert]

But iconic with those gates and everything.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yeah. And the big sky.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Arsenio Hall]

And I knew a guy named Reggie who was a guard. And Reggie would tell me whenever somebody famous came on the lot. So, you know, he'd say, oh, Mr. Hall, Harrison Ford is in Lucy Soulhany's office. And I would run over. I got 10, 15 guests in the first year running over and, you know, finding them, seeking them out.

[Stephen Colbert]

Would you, like, buttonhole them or would you play cool?

[Arsenio Hall]

No, no, I. I didn't play it cool. I remember begging Andy Garcia to come with me and just walk out in the monologue. And that was a lot of fun for me to have people walk out and surprise the audience. One time, Whitney Houston walked out behind me and then said, why don't you tell him I'm pregnant with your baby? And that was. Yes, that's an exclusive. That was great for ratings.

[Stephen Colbert]

Now, you also had Prince on to perform multiple times.

[Arsenio Hall]

And you like Prince, right?

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, Prince is fantastic. Yeah, but you got to know him. You got to know him. What's it like to get to know Prince? Did you hang with him?

[Arsenio Hall]

Yeah, when I could. Prince didn't have a cell phone, so he was hard to hang with. Because one time I said, why don't you get a cell phone, man? He said, why do I need a cell phone? And I said, so I can find your ass. You know?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes, yes.

[Arsenio Hall]

He said, everyone around me has a cell phone.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Oh, I see.

[Arsenio Hall]

That's a good point, I guess, you know, but Prince used to ask me for the whole hour, and he was the only one I would give that to. If Prince were here, would you give him the whole hour?

[Stephen Colbert]

I would kick you off the stage right now.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yes, absolutely.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's the answer. Yeah, exactly. That's it.

[Arsenio Hall]

Of course. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'd kick me off the stage. Yeah.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yeah. I used to be a little heavy on music. You know, I did a lot of music, and, you know, music doesn't always hold the ratings the way.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, no, no. We see the minute by minutes. Yeah, we love it. And you want to treat the artists very well because you're grateful for their cause. Blows your mind that you're there with Prince or whoever it is, or McCarthy, whatever it is. But the network's like, eh, yeah.

[Arsenio Hall]

And, you know, it's expensive. They want to put it at the end of the show. And my bread and butter was music. One time I booked Michael Bivens from New Edition called me. Oh, wow. This is a very hip group of white and black people. Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

Wow.

No.

[Arsenio Hall]

Cause.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. That's cbs.

[Arsenio Hall]

Yeah, yeah, there you go. Cause, you know, when you say Michael Bivens, I expected the brother, you know, I expect. Yeah, I know Mike. He from Philly. Right. You know, but these white people were like, michael Bivens. I like it. But we send.

[Stephen Colbert]

We hand out glossaries before they.

[Arsenio Hall]

That's good. Thank goodness. But he called me and he said, these guys from Philadelphia, there are four of them. They're called Boyz II Men. The album's not finished yet, but could you bring him on and maybe let him sit in with the posse? The band?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Arsenio Hall]

And I said, you know what? I got the Temptations coming on. And he said, oh, they love the Temptations. And I had them all perform together.

[Stephen Colbert]

What?

[Arsenio Hall]

And, yeah, and Paramount. That was what Paramount wanted. More black people that they didn't know performing. So I. You know.

[Stephen Colbert]

Now listen, you write. You write in your book about your relationship with the great Richard Pryor.

[Arsenio Hall]

Oh, that's the man.

[Stephen Colbert]

Now, the first time you truly hung out, he came to your unfurnished condo, right? Yes. So you had a condo but had no furniture.

[Arsenio Hall]

I had no furniture. I was talking to his security guy, and rasHawn. Rashawn said, Mr. Pryor, Cineo just bought a condo. And I was like, you know, don't tell Richard. Don't care about that, you know? And Richard said, I'd like to see it. And Reshawn brought him to my condo, and I had no furniture, but Rashawn had told me, just have some Courvoisier. And the three of us sat there and drank Courvoisier. And you know what? He said something to me, and I never forgot it. He said he looked around this empty condo, one bedroom. And he said, you know, this is when I was happy. And I said, what do you mean? He said, yeah, when it was simple. And I had a place like this, and it taught me a little something, you know, the things you buy, the material things, that's not happiness. You know, you could have a lot of stuff and be very unhappy, you know, And I learned a lot from Richard, you know, and some of it didn't have nothing to do with comedy.

[Stephen Colbert]

But. The man is Arsenio. The book is Arsenio. Arsenio. Thank you for listening to the Late Show POD show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.

It is my great honor to welcome you all to Starfleet Academy.

[Arsenio Hall]

There's never been a better time to enroll in Star Trek.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's our job to prepare you for the unimaginable.

To the Night Cadet.

[Arsenio Hall]

In high pressure situations, positive reinforcement is

[Stephen Colbert]

crucial to one's success. You're doing a great job.

[Arsenio Hall]

This is what we train for.

[Stephen Colbert]

These friends of mine, they all live for something bigger than themselves.

[Arsenio Hall]

And that's Starfleet.

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[Stephen Colbert]

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[Stephen Colbert]

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[Arsenio Hall]

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