Audience Questions | Dance Lessons

Summary

Detailed Summary of "Audience Questions | Dance Lessons" Episode

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert
• Host: CBS
• Episode: Audience Questions | Dance Lessons
• Release Date: January 3, 2025

---

Introduction to Audience Q&A

In this engaging episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert, host Stephen Colbert opens the floor to his audience, inviting them to ask questions ranging from personal anecdotes to professional insights. The segment is designed to offer listeners an intimate glimpse into Colbert's life beyond his nightly television persona.

Christmas Gifts and Personal Life

The episode begins with an audience member inquiring about Stephen's plans for his son, Ben’s, Christmas gifts.

• Audience Member ([00:39]): "What are you getting him for Christmas?"

• Stephen Colbert ([00:41]): "He's going to get a smoked pig's ear in a little stocking. He's here. He's here right now. He's watching upstairs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He loves the show."

This humorous response highlights Colbert’s playful relationship with his son and offers listeners a relatable glimpse into his role as a parent.

Balancing On-Air Persona and Private Life

Another audience member poses a thoughtful question regarding the distinction between Stephen's on-air character and his true self.

• Audience Member ([00:39]): "Do you draw a line between your TD personality and your personality at home?"

Stephen delves into this topic, emphasizing authenticity:

• Stephen Colbert ([01:50]): "I'm being totally honest with you. Are you always you. Do you not prepare a face for the faces that you meet?"

He explains that unlike past performances where his character was distinctly separate, his current approach involves presenting his genuine self to the audience, fostering a deeper connection.

Stephen Colbert’s Dance Journey

The heart of the episode centers around a question about Stephen’s dancing skills, leading him to share an extensive and entertaining narrative of his dance experiences.

• Audience Member Joy ([02:12]): "I want to know. You seem to be a very good dancer."

Stephen enthusiastically recounts his journey:

• Stephen Colbert ([02:26]): "I took a little dance when I was younger. Yeah, I took cotillion even. I took cotillion? Yeah. I can social dance."

He elaborates on his cotillion lessons, where he learned various dance forms such as foxtrot, rumba, tango, cha-cha, and waltz. Colbert fondly remembers additional social dances like square dancing, highlighting the structure and commitment required from a young age:

• Stephen Colbert ([03:15]): "And you had to be signed up basically, when you were born for cotillion in Charleston, South Carolina, because you had to show up starting in sixth grade at Society Hall."

The conversation shifts to his mother’s disco dancing lessons after becoming a widow, showcasing the bond they shared through dance:

• Stephen Colbert ([04:00]): "My mom, who my mother was widowed when she was 53, and by the time she was in her late 50s, she's like, okay, I'm start dancing again. So I was my mother's partner, and I took disco lessons."

Colbert continues to outline his varied dance training, including ballet in college, demonstrating his versatile background:

• Stephen Colbert ([04:45]): "When I got to college, I took ballet. So I've done a little bit of training, and, you know, I just got rhythm, baby."

Anecdotes from the Daily Show Era: The Colbert-Carell Friendship

The episode takes a nostalgic turn as Stephen entertains anecdotes about his camaraderie with fellow comedian Steve Carell during their time on The Daily Show. An audience member, accompanied by her mother, reminisces about their shared experiences.

• Audience Member with Mother ([04:24]): "We've been fantasy since the Daily Show. A lot of physical comedy."

Stephen shares a humorous incident highlighting their playful rivalry:

• Stephen Colbert ([05:00]): "Steve Carell spooned the vat of Crisco. If he wanted to eat Grisco, I wasn't gonna try to beat him at that."

He recounts a collaborative bit they attempted, which involved showcasing the effects of binge drinking:

• Stephen Colbert ([05:30]): "He said, hey, I've got a great idea for a bit... I, I won't drink and you will. And then I'll report on what you're like when you binge drink."

The experiment humorously escalated, leading to an altercation when both became excessively intoxicated:

• Stephen Colbert ([06:10]): "At the end of the night many things happen, including me punching him pretty hard. 'Cause he asked me to... I was never trying to up. If he wanted to eat Grisco, I wasn't gonna try to beat him at that."

The story concludes with Colbert driving Carell home, resulting in a memorable mishap:

• Stephen Colbert ([06:40]): "He thought that I had already rolled down the window and he threw up onto the window and then it went down into the door. Evie got her new car."

This anecdote not only underscores the playful dynamic between Colbert and Carell but also showcases the unpredictable nature of comedic collaborations.

Closing Remarks

As the audience questions wind down, Stephen wraps up the episode with his signature humor and invitation to listeners to engage further with his content.

• Stephen Colbert ([06:58]): "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."

---

Key Takeaways

• Authenticity: Stephen emphasizes the importance of being genuine on and off the stage, moving away from a distinct on-air persona to a more authentic self.

• Dance as a Passion: His extensive background in various dance forms reflects a deep-seated passion and highlights the role of dance in his personal and professional life.

• Humorous Nostalgia: The stories about Steve Carell provide a humorous look back at Colbert’s collaborative history, illustrating the lighter side of the entertainment industry.

• Engagement with Audience: By addressing personal questions, Stephen fosters a closer connection with his listeners, making the podcast a relatable and enjoyable experience.

This episode offers a blend of personal anecdotes, professional insights, and humorous storytelling, making it a compelling listen for fans and new listeners alike.

Transcript

[Joy]

This episode is brought to you by Hay Day. Looking to escape all the festive chaos, turn holiday hecticness into harmony with Hay Day, the mobile game that helps you harvest calm one crop at a time. Reclaim your me time. Relax, decorate and enjoy farming bliss as you tend to your animals and harvest crops as part of a welcoming, stress free community. Join over 20 million players. Just tap or click on the banner now to download Hay Day for free today.

[Stephen Colbert]

Are there any questions I can answer before we get going here? Anybody want to ask me? Ma'am? I saw you first. I'm sure Ben, he's been a good boy.

[Audience Member]

What are you getting him for Christmas?

[Stephen Colbert]

He's going to get a smoked pig's ear in a little stocking. He's here. He's here right now. He's watching upstairs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He loves the show. Anybody else? Yes, Hi. Do you draw a line between your TD personality and your personality at home? No. What I'm like out here? What I'm like at home? No one chants my name at home. They like me fine. But you people get me. Do I draw well? Yeah. I mean, everybody listen. I don't do the show in character. This is me. Like the old show I did, that guy was not me for sure. Even though sometimes he and I agreed and it was important that you never know when that was. But here you know everybody. Like, you know Jimmy or Jimmy or Seth or Oliver or John or anybody who does one of these shows, they're doing like one and a half times themselves, I think. You know what I mean? It's them, but it's a little. It's a little amplified a little bit. Not right now. I'm being totally honest with you. Are you always you. Do you not prepare a face for the faces that you meet? Is there not a moment to murder and create? Yes. I'm waiting for my own show, but it kind of got. Oh, you got to start it before the show. You do it and the show comes. It doesn't come after the show. Anybody else down here? Yes, ma'am. In the red sweater. Hello.

[Joy]

My name's Joy.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hi, Joy.

[Joy]

I kind of have a crush on you.

[Stephen Colbert]

You do? Let's act on it. What can I answer for you there, Joy?

[Joy]

I want to know. You seem to be a very good.

[Stephen Colbert]

Dancer, in addition to all your. Well, you're very, very nice. Yeah, that's very nice. I took a little dance when I was younger. Yeah, I took cotillion even.

[Joy]

I took too.

[Stephen Colbert]

I took. You took cotillion? Yeah. I can social Dance. Is that what you call it? Social dance? So I took cotillion. I had to learn how to foxtrot and rumba and tango and cha cha, and I learned how to waltz. And it was a lot of fun. And if we were really good, at the end of it, they would let us square dance, which is what we really loved. But we had to do all those. And you had to be signed up basically, when you were born for cotillion in Charleston, South Carolina, because you had to show up starting in sixth grade at Society Hall. And Evie used to go, too. She was a year older than I was, so we didn't take the same class. And her father would ride her to school on the handlebars, to the dance class on the handlebars of her bike, which was great. A little dress. And that's where I learned how to tie a tie. Foxy Foxworth showed me how to tie my tie, and I was second best all around dancer. Yeah, I see that. And then here's what happened. My mom. My mom, who my mother was widowed when she was 53, and by the time she was in her late 50s, she's like, okay, I'm start dancing again. And disco was king. She didn't know how to disco dance, so she took disco dancing lessons with all of her other couple friends, but she didn't have any to go with. So I was my mother's partner, and I took disco lessons. No. So I knew, like, the actual. I knew how to do all the, like, you know, whatever. I knew all those moves. And then I got to college, and I took. Did you do the Hustle? I did. Back in the day, I could do the Hustle. And then. And then when I got to college, I took ballet. So I've done a little bit of training, and, you know, I just got rhythm, baby. Was that the question way back? Yes, ma'am. In the back. Yes.

[Audience Member]

So I'm blessed enough to be here with my mom.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, Mom.

[Audience Member]

We've been fantasy since the Daily Show.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, wow.

[Audience Member]

A lot of physical comedy.

[Stephen Colbert]

Then I did.

[Audience Member]

And you and Carell had kind of a competition going back and forth.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure. Yeah.

[Audience Member]

See, Carell spooned the vat of Crisco.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Audience Member]

What was your response? Like, what can you do to up him? Were you just.

[Stephen Colbert]

I was never trying to up. If he wanted to eat Grisco, I wasn't gonna try to beat him at that. The best moment of that is kind of having to do with the Crisco is that Steve came to me with an idea. We were office mates. We had worked together since Second City and we, we worked at the Carvey show together and then we were at the Daily show together. And so we had done a million things over the years with each other and written a million things with each other. And he said, hey, I've got a great idea for a bit. Why don't we. We'll talk about like intoxication and binge drinking and stuff like that. Why don't we both get absolutely hammered and have cameras follow us as we get just absolutely faced one night and then we'll try to report on what binge drinking is like. And I said, that's a great idea. One small change. I, I won't drink and you will. And then I'll report on what you're like when you binge drink. And you should watch it. Oh, you can't. They took it down. But anyway, you should go try to watch it. There might be out there someplace. He honestly gets absolutely blotto. Just pie eye. And at the end of the night many things happen, including me punching him pretty hard. Cuz he asked me to. And on tape I say many times, I do not wish to punch you. Until he just pushed me one too hard. And then, and it was really funny and he regretted it immediately. But I drove him home in Evie's car, which was an old Volvo station wagon. And I said, just don't throw up in Evie's car or if you have to, just roll down the window. So he said got it. And he thought that I had already rolled down the window and he threw up onto the window and then it went down into the door. Evie got her new car. So I would say that's not. I think he one upped me there and I at that point I was ready to just let him win. Ready to go. Y'all ready to do the show? Yeah. Y'all ready to do the show, everybody? All right. 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.

[Narrator]

The Showtime Original Series the Agency Lie to everyone.

[Stephen Colbert]

Risk your life on a daily basis. No glamour, no exploding. Watch.

[Narrator]

Starring Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jody Turner Smith and Richard Gere.

[Stephen Colbert]

The CIA sends us out into the world to behave in dangerous ways.

[Narrator]

Whatever it takes. Make it impossible. You deploy undercover for years. People come back damaged from that. This is the Agency. Nothing is personal. The Agency new series now streaming on the Paramount plus was Showtime plan what.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you know about the Lioness program? Are you a lioness? I run it.

[Narrator]

From Taylor Sheridan comes the Paramount plus original series starring Zoe Saldana.

[Stephen Colbert]

I choose the asset. I choose the COVID I build the plan, and I run it. Me.

[Narrator]

With academy award winner Morgan Freeman and academy award winner Nicole Kidman.

[Stephen Colbert]

Everyone's watching on this one, and I do mean everyone.

[Narrator]

Lioness new season now streaming exclusively on Paramount plus.