Audience Questions Rewind: Mulch Obliged

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert Episode: Audience Questions Rewind: Mulch Obliged
Release Date: July 6, 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert, host Stephen Colbert delves into a variety of audience-submitted questions, offering his unique perspectives, humorous anecdotes, and insightful advice. Skipping all advertisements and non-content segments, the episode focuses solely on the interactive and entertaining exchanges between Colbert and his listeners.

Favorite Part About Coming to Work

Question: What's your favorite part about coming to work?
Stephen Colbert ([01:01]):
"My favorite part about coming to work every day... is the jokes. Because I get just as upset about what's happening in the world as anybody else does. But I get to hang out with some of the funniest people in the world and we make each other feel better about it just by letting the release out. You know, the anxiety comes out with a ha ha."

Colbert emphasizes the therapeutic power of humor and camaraderie among his team, highlighting how laughter serves as a coping mechanism for global issues and personal anxieties.

Realization of Fame

Question: When did you realize that as a public person, your life changed forever?
Stephen Colbert ([02:00]):
"When I came back from the plant supply store in our little suburban town in New Jersey... I thought, 'I'm the perfect amount of famous.' But then, when I went to buy mulch for Evie, a store employee recognized me and started asking questions about the Daily Show. That's when I knew."
"Mulch, anybody?" ([02:45]).

Colbert shares a humorous and relatable story about the subtle moments that mark the transition into fame, using the mulch incident as a memorable turning point.

Aspiring Late Night Writer Advice

Audience Member: I'm a comedian and I want to be a late night writer. What advice do you have?
Stephen Colbert ([03:18]):
"I ascribe to the Ernie Kovacs school of writing process. I don't know if you know Ernie Kovacs, but he was a pioneer of television. He said every good idea I ever had was because it was 3:15 and I had a 3:30 production meeting. I'm a huge fan of panic and pressure. Like gun to your head, because you need the actual idea that's in your head."
"Be true to yourself and don't be afraid of people's judgment because you're young and just starting. You'll find your voice, your rhythm, and your refinement. You're going to be great."
([03:50]).

Colbert encourages embracing pressure and authenticity in the creative process, drawing inspiration from Ernie Kovacs' disciplined approach to idea generation.

Pizza Place Recommendations

Question: What's your pizza place recommendation for New York?
Stephen Colbert ([04:46]):
"I like Sakos on 9th Avenue and 53rd Street for a slice. But my favorite pizza is Lazara's—it's a whole pie, shallow pan, very thin with no rolled crust. I go with prosciutto and red onion. If it's been a rough day, my assistant orders me one and puts it on my desk. I don't share because every slice is just tangy and sweet."
([05:15]).

Colbert shares his personal favorites, balancing slice-based and whole pie preferences, and adds a humorous touch about not sharing his beloved Lazara's pizza.

Favorite Voice Acting Role

Question: What's been your favorite voice acting role?
Stephen Colbert ([05:48]):
"My favorite voice acting role is Zeep from Rick and Morty. Zeep is a version of Rick from an under universe. I voiced him as very abusive to his sidekick, a Morty equivalent. There's a funny anecdote where my son recognized the Zeep voice, which was recorded two years ago without me having watched the episode."
"Zeep was fun. I've done a ton of them, but Zeep was fun."
([06:30]).

Colbert discusses his role as Zeep, highlighting the creative process behind voice acting and sharing a heartwarming moment with his son recognizing his character.

Teaching Preferences and Experiences

Question: If you were a teacher, what grade level would you like to teach?
Stephen Colbert ([07:46]):
"Give me before puberty or give me seniors, fresh Fall term, senior year—unless I don't have to give them any tests."
Follow-up: Favorite teaching experience?
Colbert ([08:19]):
"I taught improv for many years and Sunday school. Teaching seven-year-olds was fantastic. They ask profound questions about existence and time, and it's amazing to explain complex ideas like Venn diagrams to children."
"Kids Pitch" segment—children pitch movie ideas or superhero powers—was particularly inspiring. It made me realize I didn't need the coffee on morning drives."
([08:18]).

Colbert reflects on his teaching aspirations and experiences, expressing a particular fondness for teaching young children and engaging with their imaginative questions and ideas.

Show Preparation Routine

Question: What's your last 15 minutes before you go on air?
Stephen Colbert ([10:00]):
"We rewrite the show up until about 15 minutes before. Sometimes we're rewriting it right as we come out. Then, I like to listen to music to switch my mindset from writer/producer to performer. Tonight, we listened to tracks from 'Night Fly' by Donald Fagen and 'Boy Genius,' which was featured on the show last week."
"The last thing I do backstage is shake everyone's hand and say, 'Have a good show.'"
([10:45]).

Colbert details his meticulous yet dynamic preparation process, emphasizing the balance between spontaneous creativity and structured performance.

Hobbies and Personal Projects

Question: What are your hobbies?
Stephen Colbert ([11:20]):
"I don't have a lot of time for hobbies, but I'm building boats. Currently, I'm in the middle of a 200-hour project constructing a 'main lighthouse peapod tender.' I started buying materials during COVID and have put in about two hours so far."
"It's a work in progress."
([11:50]).

Colbert shares his passion for boat-building, illustrating his commitment to intricate and long-term personal projects despite his busy schedule.

Conclusion

The episode concludes with Stephen Colbert wrapping up the Q&A session, maintaining his signature blend of humor, relatability, and thoughtful insights. From reflections on fame and teaching to personal hobbies and creative processes, Colbert offers listeners a comprehensive and entertaining glimpse into his life and work.

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Notable Quotes:

• "The anxiety comes out with a ha ha." — Stephen Colbert ([01:01])
• "Be true to yourself and don't be afraid of people's judgment because you're young and just starting." — Stephen Colbert ([03:50])
• "Kids Pitch... just looking at those little faces, getting so excited about what the superhero powers could be, just was." — Stephen Colbert ([08:30])

This summary provides a comprehensive overview of the episode's key discussions, ensuring that even those who haven't listened can appreciate the depth and humor of the conversations.

Transcript

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[Stephen Colbert]

It's the Late Show Poncho with Stephen Colbert. Hey, are there any questions I can answer before we get going here? Yes, ma'. Am. What's your favorite part about coming to work? My favorite part about coming to work every day. The jokes. Because I get just as upset about what's happening in the world as anybody else does. But I get to hang out with some of the funniest people in the world and we make each other feel better about it just by letting the release out. You know, the anxiety comes out with a ha ha. Like that. This band is another reason to get to share the stage with these artists every night in extraordinary. On Tuesdays we get pizza. It's pretty great. It's pretty great. It's pretty great. Anybody else? Yes, right there. Yeah. When did you realize. When did I realize that as a public person, my life changed forever? You put it ominously, my friend. When did I know that people, like watched the show and did that change my life? I remember fairly when I was still at the Daily show and the show had kind of broken in 2000, but really in 2002, it really got even bigger and. Cause nobody knew who we were before that. You had to be really kind of news junkies to know who we were before 2000. And I came back from the plant supply store in the little suburban town, we lived in New Jersey. And I said to Evie, I said, I'm the perfect amount of famous. And she goes, what is it? And I said, I'm not famous enough that there's any paparazzi or anybody bothers me. But I went to the plant supply store to buy mulch for you. And one of the guys who works there is on a Saturday, his weekend job. He's a college kid working there on the weekend. And I didn't have to carry my own mulch to the car. He was willing to carry the mulch so he could ask me some questions about the Daily Show. And I said, I think this might be as famous as you want to be. Everything above here seems like a pain in the ass, but that's it. That's when I knew. Mulch, anybody? Yes, in the middle back right there. Yes. Yes, ma'.

[Audience Member]

Am.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm a comedian and I want to be a late night writer. You want to be a late night writer? Okay. Yeah. Do you like to write? Yes, I love to write. And do you perform it? Yeah, I perform stand up comedy. And I was going to ask you like, what's been like your writing process and can you kind of tell us a little bit about. Oh, I ascribe to the Ernie Kovacs school of writing process. And I don't know if you know what Ernie Kovacs was, but he was a pioneer of, of television. And he said every good idea I ever had was because it was 3:15 and I had a 3:30 production meeting. And so I'm a huge fan of panic and pressure. I'm not joking. Like gun to your head, because you need the. What is the actual thing you want to say and do? What's the actual idea that's in your head? And unless there's a lot of pressure on you, at least for me, and that's why I liked improv, is because it helped me deal with the pressure. It's not really like stress writing because improv is different than writing. But I really like the need to. No, you need to do it right now. You need to let go and let it out of you. And I find that if you close your eyes and really use your imagination. Not imagination, but your imagination, that's why it's called that. You see in your mind the thing you want to say or do, then do that. Then write that down. Be true to yourself and don't be afraid of people's judgment because you're young and you're just starting and you'll find your voice and you'll find your rhythm and you'll find your refinement. You're going to be great. All right, all right. Yes, ma'. Am. Right there.

[Audience Member]

Pizza place recommendation for New York.

[Stephen Colbert]

What'd you say?

[Audience Member]

What's your pizza place recommendation?

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, I actually think if you just want a slice over on shoot over on 9th Avenue. I like Sakos on 9th Avenue and 53rd Street. I like that. But my favorite pizza is not by the slice. You. You have to get a whole pie for my favorite pizza. And it's called Lazara's. And Lazara's is done in a shallow pan. It's not a deep dish pizza. It's a very thin pizza, actually. But it has no rolled crust. Like, no big thing on the edge around. It's actually just a little kick up on the edge. It's like cracker thin. The ingredients are amazing. I go with prosciutto and red onion. And on if it's been a rough day or a rough week, my assistant will order me one. And she knows to put it on my desk and. And not talk to me till I've eaten the entire thing. Cause I don't want to share because every slice, it is just tangy and sweet, and it's making the juice squirt in my mouth right now, even talking about it. Yes, sir. On the aisle. What's been your favorite voice acting role? My favorite voice acting role. You were great on Rick and Morty. Rick and oh. As Zeep, I'll tell you. So there's Rick. For those who don't follow Rick and Morty, there was an episode where they go into the Underverse or something like these. There are these nested universe inside these boxes, and they're using the nested under universe to generate power for the over universes. And they're basically just enslaving the universes below them as they go along. And I played a version of Rick in one of the under universes called Zeep. And Zeep spoke basically just like Rick and was very abusive to his sidekick, who was like a Morty. And in the under universe where Zeep was, I was enslaving the under universe underneath me to produce the power we needed on these like. Or something like that, where everyone just cranked them to worship their God. It's a complicated story, but there's something that I say in it because Rick is saying to Morty, ooh la la. If Morty says something fancy, he goes, ooh la la, Somebody's getting laid in college. And in the under universe, I say, eek, Barbadirkel. Somebody's getting laid in college. So instead of ooh la la, It's Eek Barbadirkel. And my son who watches Rick and Morty one day was in the kitchen and he and I were making something like this. And he says. He says, like I said, something fancy. And he goes, ooh la la, Somebody's getting laid in college like this. And I turned to him and I said, eek, Barbadirkle, somebody's getting late in college. And John goes, are you Zeep? Wow. Wow. And I said, yeah. Did you not know I'm Zeep? And he goes, you to tell me, like, everybody at wor. Everybody at school is going, eek, Barbadirkle, Somebody's getting college. And I don't know. It's my own dad. I said, I recorded it, like, two years ago. I haven't even seen the episode. But anyway, so Zeep was fun. I've done a ton of them, but Zeep was fun. Yes, ma'. Am. Right there in the middle. Yes.

[Audience Member]

I'm a retired teacher, 36 years.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hello. Thank you.

[Audience Member]

So I taught middle school for 17 years and. And elementary for 19. So if you were a teacher, what grade level would you like to teach in that 70s?

[Stephen Colbert]

Ooh, give me before puberty. Please, I beg you, give me before puberty or give me the seniors. Give me seniors fresh. Fall term, senior year. Not spring term, senior year. Unless I don't actually have to give them any tests or anything like that. Did you have a favorite?

[Audience Member]

Seventh grade science.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's nice. Seventh grade science. That's really good. I taught. I taught. The only time I taught, I mean, I taught improv for many years, but I also. I taught. Sunday school is the only time I actually taught anything, every Sunday. And my favorite thing was teaching seven year olds was fantastic. Sunday school, they'd ask all these questions that you think when you're like a sophomore in college, you're so smart to be asking. They're asking like, well, if God made everything, what came before God, what? God's outside of time. How? How? And he makes everything happen. How do things happen in time? Things like that. And trying to explain, like, Venn diagrams of where eternity touches the moment and everything to children. Unbelievable. I love teaching the little kids. I did a. We do a piece every so often called Kids Pitch, where children come pitch me movie ideas or I interview them to get movie ideas. And today we did Superheroes, a new superhero movie. I don't even remember what they said, but just looking at those little faces, getting so excited about what the superhero powers could be, just was. I didn't need. I Didn't need the coffee on the drive in this morning. Right, yes. Back row, sir. Yes. First of all, greetings from Pete Lumps, Big, big fan from across the sea. Hello. Just a question on your show preparation. So before you come in, what's your last 15 minutes before you do? Well, we rewrite the show up until about 15 minutes before. Honest to God, sometimes, like we're reading out it, rewriting it right as we come out here. But we rewrite the show because we rehearse it and then we go downstairs and we rewrite it for a long time and then try to make it good. And then in the last 15 minutes, I like to listen to some music to try to make the switch in my head from sort of writer, producer to just performer. Like we call it making the turn so I can leave all that behind. And what do we listen to tonight? Well, we listen to some from the Night Fly by Donald Fagan. If anybody has a deep cut, we listen to some Night Fly. I listened to the good. We listened to Igy International Geophysical Year and New Frontier. And then I listened to Cool about it by Boy Genius, which they did on the show last week was just amazing, heartbreaking and beautiful. And then the last thing I do before I come up here is when I come backstage is that I shake everybody's hand backstage, even if they're just walking by, and I say, have a good show. And then I wait for Lewis to say, how are you do, Steve? And I say, I'm good, Lewis. How are you? And I come out here and then the last thing I do before the show begins is that I shake that man's hand, Mark McKenna. And I say, have a good show. And I've been doing that. 18, 18. This is 2023. We've been doing that for 18. Wait, when was. What is today?

[Audience Member]

October 18th was our.

[Stephen Colbert]

October 17th. October 17th will be 18 years since I've been shaking your hand and saying, have a good show. 18 years since the very first episode. Since the very first episode of the Colbert Report, and I haven't aged a day. Hey, are we ready to go? We need a moment more. Okay, let's go high and away right there. Yes. What are you making for hobbies? What? What are your hobbies? What are my hobbies? I do this. I mean, I don't have a lot of time for hobbies. I have built some boats and I'm presently in the middle of building a 200 hour project of building what's called a main lighthouse, Peapod Tender. And it's you know what that is? You know what it is? A main lighthouse. As you know what that is. A peapod is the shape of the boat and a tender is what the lighthouse keeper would row out to the lighthouse. And so I'm building a main lighthouse peapod tender. And I bought all the stuff I needed to buy to build it during COVID and it's a 201, man. 200 hours. I've put two hours into it, so I'm technically in the middle of the project. We ready to go? Y' all ready to do the show? Oh, yeah. Y' all ready to do the show, Everybody. Me too. 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.

[Audience Member]

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[Stephen Colbert]

Wayfair.

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[Stephen Colbert]

911, six emergency.

[Audience Member]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Somebody's killed two girls.

[Audience Member]

My grandbaby and my friend, your dad.

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[Stephen Colbert]

Each one he gets away with.

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