Ben Stiller | Reign Of Tariff

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Ben Stiller | Reign Of Tariff
Release Date: January 10, 2025
Host: Stephen Colbert
Guest: Ben Stiller

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1. Opening Remarks and Current Events

The episode begins with Stephen Colbert addressing the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, expressing heartfelt sympathies for those affected. He emphasizes the community's plight and encourages listeners to support relevant charities using a QR code provided during the show. Colbert remarks on inappropriate responses to tragedies, humorously criticizing the online betting site Polymarket for allowing wagers on the duration of the fires.

Notable Quote:

“In times like these, it's hard to know what to do, but it's pretty easy to know what not to do.”
— Stephen Colbert [01:05]

Colbert then shifts focus to political news, highlighting President Joe Biden's recent announcement of becoming a great-grandfather. He humorously critiques Biden’s longevity in office and mocks the president's farewell interview, where Biden reflects on his tenure and uncertainties about serving another term.

Notable Quote:

“This happy occasion makes Joe Biden the first sitting president to become a great grandfather while in office.”
— Stephen Colbert [02:20]

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2. Political Satire and Social Media Commentary

Transitioning to geopolitical tensions, Colbert discusses former President Donald Trump's ambitions, specifically his controversial interest in annexing Greenland. He satirizes the potential impact of Trump's tariffs on Danish imports, including hearing aids and Lego, injecting humor about the repercussions on everyday life.

Notable Quote:

“These tariffs are going to hit us hard because Denmark also sells us baked goods, pig meat, and petroleum. But that's the entire menu at Denny's.”
— Stephen Colbert [06:52]

The conversation then shifts to Meta's (formerly Facebook) policy changes under Mark Zuckerberg's leadership. Colbert criticizes the termination of Meta’s fact-checking program and the relaxation of its hateful conduct policies, mocking the potential spread of misinformation and derogatory language on the platform.

Notable Quote:

“No, don't trust the community. The worst part about social media is other people they know don't believe me.”
— Stephen Colbert [11:22]

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3. Interview with Ben Stiller

A. Personal Reflections and Family Ties

Ben Stiller joins the show, expressing his concern for those affected by the LA wildfires. He fondly recalls his two decades living in Los Angeles and empathizes with the struggles of first responders and residents.

Notable Quote:

“I just keep thinking about all the people affected and the first responders who are working so hard to save people's lives.”
— Ben Stiller [14:04]

Stiller shares insights into his family life, mentioning his children’s ages and the joy of spending holidays together. He humorously discusses his children's interest in watching his old movies, highlighting the blend of personal and professional life in show business.

Notable Quote:

“My sister and I grew up within it, and then now I have kids who are interested in being in it.”
— Ben Stiller [22:42]

B. Severance and Creative Process

The discussion delves into Stiller's work on the second season of Severance. He explains the unique process of creating the show without external viewers, using his children as a test audience to gather authentic feedback during production.

Notable Quote:

“My kids are sort of the test audience for the show.”
— Ben Stiller [18:42]

C. Tribute to His Parents and Comedy Legacy

Stiller opens up about his documentary focusing on his late parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, acclaimed comedians of the 20th century. He narrates how his parents' partnership on The Ed Sullivan Show shaped their careers and his own upbringing in a showbiz household.

Notable Quote:

“When they started to have success on the show, it became their comedy team, became their identity.”
— Ben Stiller [21:55]

He shares a nostalgic clip from a 1974 family interview, highlighting the humorous dynamics between him and his parents. The playful banter underscores the complexities of growing up in a family deeply entrenched in the entertainment industry.

Notable Quote:

“It's spooky to be in there because it's just exactly the set.”
— Ben Stiller [20:30]

D. Star Trek Memorabilia and Fandom

Benjamin Stiller proudly showcases his extensive Star Trek collection, including authentic memorabilia like James T. Kirk's tunic and intercoms from the Enterprise set. He recounts meeting Leonard Nimoy, who graciously sent him props from the original series, highlighting his passion for the franchise.

Notable Quote:

“It's the most amazing thing I've ever got.”
— Ben Stiller [18:24]

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4. Closing Remarks and Future Projects

As the interview concludes, Stiller announces the premiere of the second season of Severance on Apple TV, expressing gratitude for his audience's patience. Colbert wraps up the conversation by promoting additional content and upcoming shows, maintaining the show's signature blend of humor and informative content.

Notable Quote:

“Season two of Severance premieres next Friday on Apple TV.”
— Stephen Colbert [24:12]

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5. Conclusion

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert offers a blend of current events satire and an intimate conversation with Ben Stiller. From heartfelt tributes to his family's comedic legacy to behind-the-scenes insights into his latest projects, Stiller provides a multifaceted look into his life and work. Colbert's sharp wit and timely humor complement the discussion, making for an engaging and informative listen.

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Additional Resources:

• Watch the Show: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
• Stream on Paramount+: Access all episodes and exclusive content on Paramount+

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, promotional segments, and non-content elements to focus solely on the substantive discussions and insights shared during the episode.

Transcript

[Ben Stiller]

My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day.

[Stephen Colbert]

Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do. Get $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com results to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com results. Twitter terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn the place to be to be.

[Voiceover Narrator]

The Showtime Original Series the Agency Lie to everyone.

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

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

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

Whatever it takes, make it impressible. 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 with Showtime plan.

[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome. Welcome one and all in here, out there, all around the world to THE Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. If you've been if you've been watching the news, you know that it has been a terrible week for the people of Los Angeles as devastating wildfires continue raging in and around the city. The footage is truly heartbreaking as thousands of homes are being destroyed and entire neighborhoods are being wiped out. We here with the Late show, we know so many people, dear friends, who have lost everything in these fires. And our hearts go out to everyone in Los Angeles and more usefully in this moment, so do our wallets. If you'd like to give, you can scan this QR code right here to see a list of charities that are on the ground right now addressing the immediate needs of people who have been affected by this tragedy. Now, in times like these, it's hard to know what to do, but it's pretty easy to know what not to do. For instance, the online betting site Polymarket has been accepting wagers on things like how long it will take to contain these fires. Starting a fantasy disaster pool. Clearly the wrong way to respond to a tragedy. There's a reason the Hindenburg coverage didn't sound like this.

[Voiceover Narrator]

And it's bursting into flames.

Yay.

[Stephen Colbert]

My parlay just hit. Oh, the hue money T. Yesterday, President Biden was in California doing what presidents should do, pledging federal disaster support to a stricken state. And at the press conference, Biden also made a personal announcement. But the good news is, I'm a great grandfather. As of today, 10 pound, 4 ounce. Baby girl, baby boy. Congratulations, Mr. President. But I gotta say, there it is. The future the GOP warned us about. Your child starts out as a girl, but by the end of the sentence, she's a boy. You happy Democrats? This, this happy occasion makes Joe Biden the first sitting president to become a great grandfather while in office. And with under two weeks left, there's still time for Joe to set more old man presidential records. Most malto meal consumed at 4am Most rubber bands collected in an old cigar box. First president ever to fall asleep at a picnic and be carried away by ants. He does seem very light, doesn't he? He seems very light. Biden also gave a farewell interview to the number one newspaper left on the floor of Hotel USA Today. And just in time, because there may be no USA tomorrow. Biden came out swinging in this interview. When asked, do you believe you could have won in November? Joe replied, I think yes. Based on the polling, it was actually a very recent survey of younger voters. Specifically one baby girl, baby boy. When the reporter asked a follow up, do you think you would have had the vigor to serve another four years in office? Biden responded, I don't know, sir. With a life and death job like this, it's kind of important. Can do attitude. Throw me the baby. Okay. Can you catch him? I don't know. The president also left us with a gift on his way out the door because in this interview he told one heck of a Joe Biden story. I want to brace yourselves. And you should pack a snack because here we go. Used to be when I was a kid, I was always the guy who was, and I don't mean to sound the wrong way, Leader of the pack, the neighbor. We build a fort. And I'd say, look, we built this thing. Val gets to come. You think I'm kidding? I'm not. Billy Cotswinkle, the guy who wrote that famous. Oh God. The book about it was a bestseller. Inaudible this one, that one. One of these. Anyway, when I got elected, he said he was from Scranton. I knew you were going to make it. You're the only guy in all our neighborhood ever climbed up the flagpole in Maloney Field and sat on the ball on top. That Joe Biden story is the most Joe Biden, Joe Biden has ever. Joe Biden a rambling yarn. A rambling yarn. Boasting about a physical feat that could only have been accomplished by one of the Little Rascals. Today, President Biden was back in Washington where he gave a Moving eulogy at Jimmy Carter's funeral. The ceremony was a beautiful remembrance of a great American. It was also a rare gathering of everyone in the Marvel presidential universe. You got Captain Saxophone, Madame Popular Vote, the Invisible WMD, Mr. Netflix. When we Harley, we Quinn, Staredevil, Dr. Dumbass and Doug. It's a solemn occasion, which is why George W. Bush greeted his presidential successor like this. And belly bonk. Hey, what's up? Hey, what's up? What's up? What's up, 44. Yeah. Yeah. You're lucky there's a funeral, else that would have been a sack tap. Okay.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Ting.

[Stephen Colbert]

Like there. Okay. Down in Texas, we call that clearing the brush, cutting mesquite. One touching moment came when Gerald Ford's son read a eulogy written for Jimmy Carter by his father. President Ford actually wrote it many years ago because even though they were political rivals, the two men made a pact to speak at each other's funerals. Carter did that for Ford in 2007. And Ford left behind a written eulogy for Carter before he died, because that's what good friends do. In fact, I have my friend John Stewart's eulogy right here. We were all stunned when John passed away in a tragic vegan nutribullet smoothie accident. Although he lived to be 110 years old, he appeared to be that age for most of his life. There's more, but no spoilers, of course. Just weeks from his inauguration, Trump is laser focused on the one thing that is sure to lower the price of egg. Annexing Greenland. And the world was getting a little worried. In fact, Danish officials fear Trump is more serious about acquiring Greenland than in his first term. They're really nervous. The Danish prime minister even released this statement. Urmin Gyrd, we're Sir.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Screw.

[Stephen Colbert]

Skried. Trump says he's open to using military force, but his first plan is to slap Denmark with a bunch of tariffs, which is not great for us because we buy a surprising amount of stuff from Denmark. For instance, Denmark is the leading supplier to the United States of hearing aids. What? These tariffs are going to hit us hard because Denmark also sells US Baked goods, pig meat and petroleum. But that's the entire menu at Denny's. What? And these tariffs would hit us right in the playroom because Denmark is home to Lego. Oh, sorry, kids. You'll have to play with America's next best toy, your little brother. You know the slogan. Come on, just bring him. He looks up to you. With Trump's inauguration fast approaching, the race to kiss his ass is intensifying especially for Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Over the last few weeks, he has donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund and on Tuesday announced that Meta will end its fact checking program. But if there's no more fact checking, how will I know if what I see on Instagram is true? Was Haley's vacation just the reset she needed? Were the spicy margaritas totally lit? And is this really going to be her year of yes? I don't know what to believe anymore. Instead, Meta will rely on a community driven system similar to X's Community Notes. No, do not trust the community. The worst part about social media is other people they know don't believe me. No, don't believe. Look at this. Actual Facebook post. NPR posted a fine little story about pandas playing in the snow at the National Zoo. So, of course somebody commented, Daily reminder that the US Is sending taxpayer funds to the Taliban Weekly. The pandas cannot help you with that, my man. They don't even know how to have sex. We gotta help them with, like, tubes and stuff. In addition. In addition to getting rid of the fact checking, Meta also severely loosened their hateful conduct policy, crossing out formally banned phrases. So now users can do things like refer to women as household objects or. Or property. No. Wrong. That is horrible. You should never call a woman a household object unless you're using the pickup line. Girl, are you a humidifier? Cause since you came into my life, fundamental problems that I wasn't even aware of are being corrected. Zuck posted this video to explain the changes.

[Voiceover Narrator]

The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech. So we're gonna get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, okay?

[Stephen Colbert]

I don't trust a guy with this haircut to reduce mistakes. Jim, put Zuck up right over here, okay? He looks like if your Jewish aunt was Jack Harlow. He looks like a high school guidance counselor who called you into his office to tell you he's getting a divorce. I'd say more, but if I leave this picture up for too long, we have to start paying royalties to Art Garfunkel. We got a great show for you tonight coming up.

[Ben Stiller]

Ben Stiller.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Now streaming on Paramount. Plus, what's your job? When people go missing, I get hired.

[Stephen Colbert]

To help find them.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Catch up now on Tracker.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm here to help.

[Voiceover Narrator]

The CBS original original series that critics are calling a breakout hit. Nothing good comes without risks.

[Stephen Colbert]

I would drink to that.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Justin Hartley stars.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hold on.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Did you say Arrow Run?

[Ben Stiller]

That's a new one.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Coulter in the CBS original tracker. Catch up on the latest episodes now on Paramount plus an all new All Access Paramount original docu series. Kristen Kalisic is captain of the U.S. national team. Take a sneak peek into my trailer following America's captain.

Soccer brings out a different character. Turn me on.

His quest for global victory.

[Stephen Colbert]

Captain America has taken this team on his shoulders.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Balancing fame.

Christians never wanted the spotlight and the game.

[Stephen Colbert]

These are the goals that create legends.

[Voiceover Narrator]

I want to be the best player in the world.

Pulisic presented by Michelob Ultra. New docu series now streaming exclusively on Paramount plus. Welcome to the oil business. Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore and Jon Ham star in a new Paramount plus original series.

The world has already convinced itself that.

[Stephen Colbert]

You are evil and I am evil.

[Voiceover Narrator]

For providing them the one thing they interact with with every day.

[Stephen Colbert]

You're all right.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Here we go from Taylor Sheridan, executive producer of Yellowstone.

Get everybody back.

You just put a giant bullseye on this place.

[Stephen Colbert]

We rolled the dice one last time.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Landman New series now streaming exclusively on Paramount Plus.

[Stephen Colbert]

Ladies and gentlemen, thanks, everybody. Ladies and gentlemen, my first guest tonight is an actor and filmmaker. You know, franchises like Meet the Parents, Madagascar and Night at the Museum. He now directs and produces season two of Severance. Please welcome back to the Late Show, Ben Stiller. Hey.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Hey. How are you?

[Stephen Colbert]

Nice to see you. Nice to see you. Always enjoy talking to you. How have you been?

[Voiceover Narrator]

I've been good. Hey, can I just say before we start, just my heart, it goes out to everyone in LA. I lived in LA for 20 years. What's going on out there is just so devastating. I just keep thinking about all the people affected and the first responders who are working so hard to save people's lives. And I just wanted to say, you know, send love to everybody, feel exactly the same way.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, it's heartbreaking the number of people who've lost their homes there. Well, this is. It's a new year. This is our first week back doing the show. How were your holidays? Did you.

[Voiceover Narrator]

My holidays were great. I got to, like, relax a little bit and just hang out at home. We live up, you know, up in Westchester.

[Stephen Colbert]

What's your address?

[Voiceover Narrator]

It is 43 Cedar Hill Road. No. And yeah, we got to just, you know, like, be with the family. My kids are. My daughter's 22. My son's 19.

[Stephen Colbert]

So do you go back and just watch your old stuff?

[Voiceover Narrator]

That's what we do. I make them watch my old movies. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Voiceover Narrator]

But it was great. We had just like, just everybody hanging out and watching stuff. Actually, you Know, it's good to be able to actually watch stuff together, you know, shares the show.

[Stephen Colbert]

What do you watch together? What's the family journey?

[Voiceover Narrator]

Well, like, you know, just like, great stuff you want to share with your kids. You know, classic stuff that, you know. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Eternal stuff.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, that's me and my daughter watch together. That's our sort of. Our show that we binge like.

[Stephen Colbert]

You continually watch that. That's been a thing for you for a while now?

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yeah, for like the last year or so. And we started watching all going back, you know, I think I. I didn't start at season one. I started like at season like seven or eight then.

[Stephen Colbert]

How can you possibly understand?

[Voiceover Narrator]

Believe me, you get it. You get it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Whose idea was this? Did she start you on it? Yes.

[Voiceover Narrator]

She loves it and I love it. It's great.

[Stephen Colbert]

Speaking of things that you love, I love this thing that you've indulged in because it's an itch I would like to scratch as well. You got yourself something recently. Cause you just wanted it. Cause tell the people what you got.

[Voiceover Narrator]

You're talking about my Star Trek stuff. Yeah. I bought William Shatner's tunic, James T. Kirk's tunic from.

[Stephen Colbert]

See, this is. I respect this enormously.

[Voiceover Narrator]

That's from the Enemy within episode of the original series. And that's the original tunic that he wore.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, that's good Kirk. Bad Kirk, Spock, Bad Scott.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's where we get the trope that if you're evil, you have a goatee. Because Bad Spock has the goatee.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Actually, that's mirror, mirror, not the Enemy Within.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's not.

[Voiceover Narrator]

No, Enemy within is just Kirk gets mirror, mirror. They get beamed into an alternate universe, and then they're all, oh, okay, all right.

[Stephen Colbert]

But it is good bad, right? It is good bad. But this is an example of him wearing it.

[Voiceover Narrator]

That is.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes, right there.

[Voiceover Narrator]

And that's like the little creature that gets split up and they're like the mean little.

[Stephen Colbert]

And this is Good Kirk. Badkirk. Right there. Right there. And this has. Bad Kirk has the best line of all time.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Which one? Spock?

[Stephen Colbert]

I kill you.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yeah, kill you. And then he also has.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm Kempton Kirk.

[Voiceover Narrator]

I'm Kimpton Kirk. Thank you. That's it right there. That's where he said.

[Stephen Colbert]

Not the only memorabilia you have. What is this?

[Voiceover Narrator]

That's one of the intercoms from the Enterprise. Yeah, that's actual intercom on the helm.

[Stephen Colbert]

Like Captain's log, that kind of thing.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Totally. And look at this.

[Stephen Colbert]

You got the Gorn head from the arena. Wait for me. I will be merciful.

[Voiceover Narrator]

There's one man in the front row looking at me like this.

[Stephen Colbert]

I know you love the Gorn because in Tropic Thunder, your character Tug Speedman watches the Gorn episode when he's in the jungle.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Exactly. Yes. And Leonard Nimoy, when Tropic Thunder came out, he saw that Matthew McConaughey's character had Spock ears. Yeah, Rick Peck had Spock ears on his desk. And I met him for the first time at an event a few weeks after the movie opened, and he said, I think I saw my ears there. And guess what? He sent me his real ears from the Star Trek movie.

[Stephen Colbert]

Come on. It's all working out. It's all working out for Ben Stiller, as far as I can tell.

[Voiceover Narrator]

It's literally the most amazing thing I've ever got.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's 2025, and you have come bearing a gift for the new year, and I'm very grateful. And that is a new season of Severance. We've all waited too long, far too long for this.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Thank you for being patient. Thank you for waiting for.

[Stephen Colbert]

I wasn't patient at all. I said some terrible things about you. Thank you. Yeah. Do your kids watch it?

[Voiceover Narrator]

They do, actually, when we're making the show. Because we're making it without anybody seeing it. And you do all the episodes together, and it's taken a couple years. They are sort of. Christine and my kids are sort of the test audience for the show. So I'll show them episodes while we're, you know, in process and get their feedback.

[Stephen Colbert]

We have a clip here for the new season. What's happening in this scene?

[Voiceover Narrator]

This is from the very first episode of the new season when Mark comes back to work for the first time. Mark S. Mark S. Comes back to work and comes back to MDR for the first time.

[Stephen Colbert]

Jim.

[Ben Stiller]

I suppose you're Mark S. I'm Mark W.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Who are you people?

[Ben Stiller]

Would you be open to using a different first name to avoid confusion?

[Voiceover Narrator]

Welcome back, Marquez.

[Stephen Colbert]

In a minute. Where'd you start?

[Voiceover Narrator]

The 17th. By the way. Your piece. Watching that piece and watching it again, after a while, I realize why we cut that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Me, too. Yeah, but still an honor.

[Voiceover Narrator]

But the hair was amazing.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you very much. That clipped right on.

[Voiceover Narrator]

But seriously, the office severance mashup is pretty, pretty lovely.

[Stephen Colbert]

It was an honor to be up there. It's spooky to be in there because it's just exactly the set.

[Voiceover Narrator]

You did it on our actual.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's the set.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Voiceover Narrator]

And you got Turturro. You got Tramel Tillman.

[Stephen Colbert]

Fantastic. I understand there's a podcast for severance.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Has that started yet?

[Voiceover Narrator]

It started a couple days ago. Adam Scott and I just started decided to do a rewatch podcast.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Voiceover Narrator]

And every day between now and when the show starts, we've been doing one episode from the first season. Then on the first day of the new season, we'll do the new season.

[Stephen Colbert]

Are you having guests on?

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yeah. Do you want to come on?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Seriously?

[Stephen Colbert]

Seriously.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Okay, Now I have you on the record saying you're going to come on.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yeah. All right, great.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I have an editor, so maybe you don't.

[Voiceover Narrator]

All right, this is your show. You're right.

[Stephen Colbert]

We have to take a quick break. Right back with more Ben Stiller, everybody. Hey, everybody. We're back with Mr. Ben Stiller. You are working on a documentary that's fascinating to me. It's about your parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. They're great comedy greats of the 20th century. Who. 1 of the things I love about it, of course, is they were in this theater many times on the Ed Sullivan. How many times were they on the ed Sullivan Show?

[Voiceover Narrator]

36.

[Stephen Colbert]

36 times.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

What have you uncovered about making this film about your family and about your own life?

[Voiceover Narrator]

Well, I wanted to make something about them when my dad died, you know, in 2020, and my mom had been gone for a few years before that, and it sort of turned into a story about being in a family that's in show business. And, you know, my sister and I grew up within it, and then now I have kids who are interested in being in it. And sort of how all that crossed over and my parents creativity and their relationship and how that was sort of interconnected because they were married for like 60 something years, but they worked together and they came on the Ed Sullivan show and that really made their career. And when that happened, when they started to have success on the show, it became their comedy team, became their identity. And so they had to work with that.

[Stephen Colbert]

And that wasn't the plan. Right. Your mom wasn't gonna be a comedy partner with your dad.

[Voiceover Narrator]

That's right. She wanted to be a serious actor. She was a great actress. And my dad loved comedy and he kind of pulled her into it.

[Stephen Colbert]

And it paid the bills.

[Voiceover Narrator]

It did. It paid the bills. And then they had to also have a family and have their own careers and figure that out. So that's Kind of what the movie's been about.

[Stephen Colbert]

We have a clip of that as well.

[Voiceover Narrator]

What do we do? Well, this is a clip. This whole clip is just from an interview that we did as a family in, I think, like, 1974, at our apartment with Pat Collins, who is a film critic and a host of a show, a local show, and it's her interviewing my parents and me.

[Ben Stiller]

Jim, I find out from your son Benjamin that he wants to be a movie producer or a movie director. Would you object if he went into show business? Oh, I'd love him to be a big producer and hire his own mom and dad. Yeah, I'd love that. Benjamin Stiller is Anne and Jerry's answer to Alfred Hitchcock. He is clearly the most uncompromising director on the west side. Benji, your mother says that she'd like you maybe to grow up to be a big producer, and then you could give her and your dad starring roles. Would you hire these two? No, you wouldn't? Benji.

[Stephen Colbert]

What? What is this? What is it? Yes.

[Ben Stiller]

How fast they forget. What? Why I would hire somebody else.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Why?

[Stephen Colbert]

Why?

[Ben Stiller]

It'd be hard to work with you.

[Stephen Colbert]

So much for your career.

[Voiceover Narrator]

See that? See that?

[Ben Stiller]

Thanks a lot, pal. Boy, the bigger they are, the nicer they are.

[Voiceover Narrator]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's beautiful. Ben, lovely to see you. Thanks for being here. Thanks, everybody. Season two of Severance premieres next Friday on Apple tv. Ben Stiller, everybody. Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives. What do you know about the Lioness program? Are you a lioness? I run it.

[Voiceover Narrator]

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

[Ben Stiller]

I choose the asset, I choose the COVID I build the plan.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I run it. Me.

[Voiceover Narrator]

With Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman.

Good call.

And Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman.

[Ben Stiller]

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

[Voiceover Narrator]

Lioness new season now streaming exclusively on Paramount plus. Paramount plus is your home for the UEFA Champions League.

[Stephen Colbert]

Magnificent.

[Voiceover Narrator]

And this season is bigger, better, bolder than ever. That was special, with more epic matchups and historic and more moments from soccer's iconic stars.

[Stephen Colbert]

What a goal. What a player.

[Voiceover Narrator]

The UEFA Champions League. Stream every match live exclusively on Paramount plus.

[Stephen Colbert]

The stuff of absolute dreams.