George Clooney | Bribe Check

Summary

Episode Summary: "George Clooney | Bribe Check" The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert
Release Date: February 19, 2025

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Introduction and Monologue

In the latest episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert, host Stephen Colbert opens with his characteristic blend of humor and sharp commentary. Feeling the collective stress of current events, Colbert emphasizes the importance of nightly gatherings to uplift spirits and process the day's happenings.

He kicks off the monologue with a recounting of a recent Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Toronto that crash-landed upside down due to severe wind gusts. “The crash unfolded during wind gusts of 40 mph on the ground that were even stronger in the air. The pilots attempted a crab maneuver, which involves turning the plane into the wind before landing, but it was unsuccessful,” Colbert explains (02:00). Miraculously, all passengers survived, a fact Colbert highlights as making the story “light” despite the gravity of the situation. He humorously remarks, “Seeing that plane upside down just feels wrong. It’s like running into your teacher at the grocery store and they’re upside down and on.”

Shifting gears, Colbert delves into the controversies surrounding New York City Mayor Eric Adams. He outlines Adams' tumultuous tenure, citing incidents such as the mysterious residency during his mayoral campaign, the appointment and subsequent removal of his brother as deputy police commissioner, and his unconventional initiatives like the Times Square Robocop and a war on rats. Colbert sarcastically comments, “Mayor Adams has been involved in some controversy for years now,” painting a picture of political chaos and mismanagement.

Eric Adams' Political Controversies

Colbert provides a detailed examination of Mayor Adams' legal troubles, focusing on his indictment by the Justice Department for allegedly soliciting and accepting illegal campaign donations from foreign entities, specifically Turkish Airlines. “Turkish Airlines provided free travel benefits worth tens of thousands of dollars to Adams,” Colbert states (05:15), illustrating the depth of the mayor's entanglements.

The conversation progresses to Adams' attempts to leverage a relationship with former President Donald Trump to dismiss charges. Colbert narrates, “After Trump won, Adams traveled down to Palm Beach to have lunch with him at Mar-a-Lago. Instead of celebrating MLK Day here in New York, he left in the middle of the night to attend Trump's inauguration,” underscoring the mayor's questionable alliances and strategies.

As Adams seeks a pardon, Trump allegedly tries to gain leverage by intervening through Emil Beauvais Bovet, leading to further complications. Colbert humorously describes Bovet as the “love child of Lurch and Uncle Fester,” highlighting the absurdity of the political maneuvering. The fallout includes the resignation of six prosecutors led by Danielle R. Sassoon, who took a stand against the manipulative tactics aimed at undermining the justice system. Reflecting on the ethical implications, CPS Prosecutor Hagen Scotten is quoted at 21:13: “No system of ordered liberty can allow the government to use the carrot of dismissing charges or the stick of threatening to bring them again to induce an elected official to support its policy objectives.”

Guest Appearance: George Clooney

The episode's highlight is the guest appearance of acclaimed actor, director, and philanthropist George Clooney. Introduced warmly by Colbert, Clooney discusses his new Broadway play, Good Night and Good Luck, which is slated to premiere at the Winter Garden Theatre. The play, inspired by the legacy of journalist Edward R. Murrow, delves into the critical role of the fourth estate in holding power accountable, especially during dark times like the McCarthy era.

Clooney shares personal insights, mentioning his father’s influence as a journalist and the motivation behind creating a play that honors Murrow’s courage. He explains, “The theory when I was growing up was from the time I was a little kid, he said, I don't care what you do. I really don't care what you do in life. But what I do hope is that you defend people with less power than you and you go after people with more power than you.” This philosophy underscores the play’s thematic focus on integrity and the importance of fearless journalism.

Throughout the interview, Clooney injects humor, particularly regarding his struggles with memorizing lines for the play. “I wanted to wait until I was old enough to not remember my lines,” he admits, leading to a series of lighthearted exchanges that showcase his charismatic personality. The playful banter includes Colbert’s jest about Clooney needing a prompter and Clooney’s humorous remarks on his attempt to “make smoking cool again.”

Clooney further elaborates on the play's relevance in today's sociopolitical climate. “These are subjects that, you know, Grant and I... we wrote this 20 years ago because I was being called a traitor to the country for being against the war in Iraq,” he reflects, drawing parallels between past and present challenges faced by journalists and public figures.

Concluding Remarks

As the episode nears its end, Colbert and Clooney discuss the logistical aspects of the play, including its run schedule and Clooney’s family involvement. Clooney confirms that his wife Amal and their children are supportive and involved, with Amal having ties to NYU and the family enjoying life in New York City. The conversation wraps up with Colbert wishing Clooney luck in his theatrical endeavors and a humorous nod to Clooney’s ongoing battle with memorization, reinforcing the episode's blend of serious discourse and comedic relief.

Notable Quotes:

• Stephen Colbert on the Plane Crash: “Seeing that plane upside down just feels wrong. It’s like running into your teacher at the grocery store and they’re upside down and on.” (02:55)

• George Clooney on Journalism: “What I do hope is that you defend people with less power than you and you go after people with more power than you.” (23:12)

• Hagen Scotten on Judicial Integrity: “No system of ordered liberty can allow the government to use the carrot of dismissing charges or the stick of threatening to bring them again to induce an elected official to support its policy objectives.” (21:15)

Conclusion

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert masterfully intertwines political satire with a thoughtful discussion on the role of journalism in society, all while maintaining an engaging and humorous tone. George Clooney's appearance adds depth to the conversation, offering listeners both entertainment and insightful perspectives on current events and the arts. For those who missed the episode, this summary encapsulates the key discussions and memorable moments that define "George Clooney | Bribe Check."

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Timestamp references are included for contextual reference based on the provided transcript.

Transcript

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[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome, welcome one and all. Welcome in here, out there, all around the world to the Late Show. I'm your host, Stephen Colbert. I want to start off tonight. Start off. Hey, friends. Hey, beautiful people. Hey. How's everybody doing? Feeling a little. That's good. That's good. I don't know about you, I'm feeling a little stressed these days. And that's why we get together every night. People say, how do you keep your spirit up? You know, get together every night with y'all and with the writers all day thinking about what happened today, you know, we talk things out, have a little fun. And to do that whenever we can, we like to do like a light story at the top of the monologue, you know, just to ease into things, you know, because things are messed up out there, you know? Do you want to know how messed up things are? The lightest story in the news is a plane crash. Everyone survived, though. That's why it's light, okay? And it's not just light, it's a miracle, considering the Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Toronto yesterday landed upside down. Remember the good old days when it was just doors flying off the thing? I miss that. Seeing that plane upside down just feels wrong. It's like running into your teacher at the grocery store and they're upside down and on. Authorities are still investigating exactly how this happened, but they do know that the crash unfolded during wind gusts of 40 mph on the ground that were even stronger in the air. Now, to deal with the high winds, the pilots apparently attempted something that is known as a crab maneuver, which involves turning the plane into the wind, then directly onto the Runway at the last moment. And not, as they thought, when you land the plane like this. Yeah. But the maneuver was unsuccessful due to the earth being in the way. And the plane kind of, kind of bounced. It landed kind of bounced and then it flipped over. And there's a ton of footage of this out there. You've probably seen some of it because everyone has a phone now. And in fact, one of the passengers even took a video of the evacuation.

[George Clooney]

Holy, holy, holy.

[Stephen Colbert]

That was also his answer on the post flight survey. Yes, honest. Pithy. Speaking of flaming disasters, New York City mayor and New York City mayor and time traveler sent back to warn us that the club stops bottle service at 4am Eric Adams. Mayor Adams has been involved in some controversy for years now, actually. For instance, while he was still running to be mayor of New York, no one could tell if he lived in New York or in New Jersey. Once he became mayor, he appointed and later had to remove his brother as deputy police commissioner. He announced a personal war on rats, introduced a Times Square Robocop that failed as a police officer but thrived as a public urinal, and claims that the Big Apple is littered with unique crystals that give out a special energy. Yes, in fact, I saw a gentleman enjoying some of those unique crystals in the Port Authority bathroom yesterday. He definitely radiated a special energy. But there is no denying Eric Adams loves this city. Just listen to how he praised all the possibilities of New York.

[Eric Adams]

This is a place where every day you wake up, you could experience everything from a plane crashing into our Trade center to a person who's celebrating a new business that's open.

[Stephen Colbert]

Not sure if you want to promote your city using the worst thing that ever happened there. That's why Hawaii doesn't posters that say visit Pearl Harbor. Japan could be back any day, but yesterday was it just yesterday. Yesterday Pearl Harbor. Never forget yesterday. Adams controversy stopped being funny and started becoming hilarious because four top deputies to Eric Adams have now resigned. You see, here's how like mayor's office works. He may be mayor, but these are the people that actually administer the city. The resignations were from the first deputy mayor, the deputy mayor for Health and Human Services, deputy mayor for Operations, and deputy mayor for Public safety. So at this point, the city is evidently being run by the remaining deputy mayor. 100 rats in a trench coat. So very effective, though. Very effective. So how did we get here? Well, last Year, the Justice Department indicted Adams for secretly soliciting and accepting illegal campaign donations from wealthy foreigners. One blatant example is Turkish Airlines, which provided free travel benefits worth tens of thousands of dollars to Adams. So he flew Turkish Airlines even when doing so was inconvenient. He loved his free perk so much that he once asked his partner to call Turkish Airlines to confirm they did not have routes between New York and Chile. Okay, Jim, throw up the old map. So it's 10 hours and 30 minutes from New York to Chile, but if you decide to fly through Istanbul, that trip is only 27 hours long. Yes, it is a bit longer, but it does give you plenty of time to enjoy the Istanbul Airport Arby's. That's real, not a mock up. The Istanbul Airport Arby's. You know their slogan. We have the Honkjar Biendi Sultan's delight. But it gets guiltier. It gets Arby's horsey sauce. But it gets guiltier. Because when planning a different trip to Turkey, his staffer texted Adams to be on the safe side, please delete all messages you send me. To which Adams replied, always do. Adding, including this one. It would be really embarrassing if it ended up in an indictment or on television being read out loud by a handsome and charming late night host who, because he is not a public official, can accept as much free travel as Turkish Airlines is willing to throw at him. So Adams was. He was in deep trouble. It did not look good for him. But then, like a flash, it hit him. He wasn't the only high profile New York criminal in public office. So he immediately got all cozy with Donald Trump. And after Trump won, Adams traveled down to Palm beach to have lunch with him at Mar a Lago. And then instead of celebrating MLK Day here in New York, he left in the middle of night to attend Trump's inauguration. Well, he had to leave at midnight. No, he had to leave at midnight, folks, because that's the only flight from New York to Washington via Istanbul, then Istanbul. It's always there. You never know when the crab's going to attack. Then, once Trump took office, Mayor Adams promptly asked for a pardon. He did not get one. Instead, Trump wanted leverage over Adams. So he called in acting U.S. deputy Attorney General and love child of Lurch and Uncle Fester. Emil Beauvais Bovet, or Bove, as I will call him, told the federal prosecutors who charged Adams to drop the charges without prejudice. Which is important because it means that the charges could be brought up again in the future. So now Trump has Alt Adams by the old Turkish delights. Now, one problem with Bove and Adams cunning plan to get the case dismissed. They just can't do it alone. There's a process. They need the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York to go along with it. But the leader of the Manhattan office, Danielle R. Sassoon, resigned rather than obey. And she was followed. Isn't that nice? And she was followed out the door by at least six other prosecutors. That takes courage. Thankfully, all these lawyers found jobs at the new firm of We Got balls. And how one of Esquire, one of the people who resigned rather than capitulate was lead prosecutor and Jerry Lewis catchphrase Hagen Scotten. Scotten explained the decision to resign this. No system of ordered liberty can allow the government to use the carrot of dismissing charges or the stick of threatening to bring them again to induce an elected official to support its policy objectives. If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool or enough of a coward to. To file your motion. But it was never going to be me. Damn, damn, damn, son. That is strong. Yeah, that is powerful. Unfortunately, he lost the President at the word carrot. Eventually, Bove couldn't find anyone to do what he wanted in the Manhattan office. So he was ultimately compelled to sign the motion himself, along with two other Washington prosecutors. And I swear, these are their real names, Edward Sullivan and Antoinette T. Bacon. And I'm being told we have a picture of the two of them. There they are. She actually. Fun fact, fun fact. She actually opened for the Beatles. Yes, I want to hold your ham.

[George Clooney]

Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you. That joke, that joke, that joke. Sent in to us by little Richie Dom, age 8. The mayor is already keeping his side of the bargain because after meeting with Trump's border czar, Adams opened Rikers island to ICE agents. That is terrible. Rikers is no place for ICE agents. It's a place for Eric Adams. Now, both Adams, both Adams. Both Adams and the Trump borders are Tom Homan, that's his name. And Tom Homan denied there was any quid pro quo here. Like, we dropped the charges, you help us round up the immigrants. But Homan kind of blew it. He kind of let it slip when he was on with the Fox and Friends. You are sitting today talking about the new alliance between ICE and Adams. So thank you very much for coming.

[Eric Adams]

And the alliance was never severe.

[Tom Homan]

If he doesn't come through, you're up early anyway. If he doesn't come through, I'll be back in New York City and we won't be sitting on a couch. I'll be in his office up his butt saying where the hell is the agreement we came to.

[Stephen Colbert]

Aha. Their agreement. But up his butt, sir. Up his butt. He is the mayor of New York. You do not go up Eric Adams butt unless you stop in Istanbul first. We got a great show for you tonight coming up. George Clooney.

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[Stephen Colbert]

Welcome back, everybody. Ladies and gentlemen, my friend Monsieur Ahmad. You know my first guest tonight as an academy award winning actor, director, producer and philanthropist. Please welcome back to the late show, George Clooney.

[George Clooney]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

It is lovely. Lovely to see you again, George. Thanks for stopping by.

[George Clooney]

All right, we have time for one more question.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Nice to see you. Nice to have you. But here's the thing is that I'm excited not just to have you on the show, but the fact that we're going to be neighbors for a while. I can see my from my office. I can see the winter garden.

[George Clooney]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I can see you up there. Right here. There's the playbill. Good night and good luck, everyone. In the garden. There you go.

[George Clooney]

My goal is to make smoking cool again. You know that's my goal. Oh, yeah, absolutely.

[Stephen Colbert]

For the kids.

[George Clooney]

For the kids.

[Stephen Colbert]

Few weeks away from preview on this.

[George Clooney]

Yeah. Oh, my goodness. Feel good? No, I'm not.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's not your first. It's not your first play.

[George Clooney]

I did a play 39 years ago.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[George Clooney]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

It was called Vicious.

[George Clooney]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, there you go.

[George Clooney]

You got a card of it.

[Stephen Colbert]

There you go. We have a research department here.

[George Clooney]

That's not me, by the way. I just want you to know I was.

[Stephen Colbert]

We'll never know.

[George Clooney]

No, we won't tell people.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, so did you enjoyed it enough to wait 39 years?

[George Clooney]

I wanted to wait until I was old enough to not remember my lines.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, how is that by the way? Cause good night and good luck. Obviously it's based on the movie that you wrote with your partner. Yeah. And since you wrote it, is memorizing the lines. You got them down. Are you cold?

[George Clooney]

It's a nightmare.

[Stephen Colbert]

Look. But you wrote it.

[George Clooney]

Come on. I don't remember my kids names. I don't remember. I'm 63. It's weird. There's a weird. Like when I did er, we do 12 pages a day of medical dialogue and you could just come in and just rip it out. I was 30 years going to talk.

[Stephen Colbert]

About a Nissan Fundo.

[George Clooney]

Plication, supraventricular tachyarrhythmia. Never gotten the wrong sense.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you. Nice.

[George Clooney]

And now, Now I can't remember anything. Honest to God. I. You know, literally these are very famous speeches that Murrow wrote.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes, yes.

[George Clooney]

And I start to do them and I just sit there going. I don't, I don't remember. I don't.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hamada panic coming in.

[George Clooney]

But it's exciting.

[Stephen Colbert]

But what about literally trotting the boards again? Because live on stage is a totally different beast.

[George Clooney]

It's a very different beast. Yeah, I'm scared.

[Stephen Colbert]

I mean when you do a movie or do a TV show on single camera, you capture a little bit of it, you move on. There's no audience you could do it.

[George Clooney]

Over and like we do this show over and over again.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. I gotta say so far this is much better than the first two interviews we've done. Yeah, thank you. Because you've nailed this one.

[George Clooney]

Well, I sobered up and that helps so much more once you get the coffee in me. I'm much 20 years ago.

[Stephen Colbert]

As I said, you co wrote this and you co starred and directed for the People who Don't Remember. As much as we all enjoyed it back then. What is the story? Who was Edward R. Murrow and what is the story about?

[George Clooney]

Okay, well, I play. He's a superhero who has rubber nipples. Oh, oh, wait, that was my Batman.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's right, that's right. Very similar though.

[George Clooney]

Very similar. Sorry. It's a story about one of the great broadcast journalists from here, CBS, back in the heyday in the 1950s and he was very well known and respected because of his work during World War II. And he was considered the most trusted man in America before Walter Cronkite was the most trusted man in America. And it was during the McCarthy era. And he took on McCarthy and was one of the people and his shows were instrumental in holding truth to power, which I think is always relevant in.

[Stephen Colbert]

He set a standard.

[George Clooney]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Murrah really set the standard.

[George Clooney]

He did, and it cost him. It cost him his job, ultimately, but he did it.

[Stephen Colbert]

We have to take a quick break, but we're gonna be right back with more George Clooney. Everybody sticks. We're back with the star of the new Broadway play Good Night and Good Luck at the Winter Garden Theatre. George, a bit of an obvious question, but why do you think it's a good idea to bring back a play right now about a man in journalism who is standing up against both corporate and political interests?

[George Clooney]

Yeah, it's a weird thing, isn't it? Yeah, well, you know, it was funny.

[Stephen Colbert]

Would Murrah say Gulf of America, or would Murrah say Gulf of Mexico?

[George Clooney]

How boy did you first say Gulf of America?

[Stephen Colbert]

I did. I was the first person. My old character on the old show claimed it as the Gulf of America.

[George Clooney]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. It was after the oil spill in the Gulf. I said, we broke it. We bought it. It's the Gulf of America now.

[George Clooney]

You see, there's no new ideas.

[Stephen Colbert]

Trump steals all my ideas. And you better lawyer up, Mother, because I'm coming for you.

[George Clooney]

I'm not sure you're going to need lawyers. I think we need more than that. Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

Shaman.

[George Clooney]

Yes. Something. No. You know, we planned on doing it, like, about two years ago. It was something we were looking forward to because, look, these are subjects that, you know, Grant and I. My partner, Grant Heslav, and I wrote this 20 years ago because I was being called a traitor to the country for being against the war in Iraq. And they put me on a deck of cards and called me a traitor and stuff. And I thought, well, it's always interesting to talk about.

[Stephen Colbert]

You were on that?

[George Clooney]

Yeah. Deca Traders.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[George Clooney]

Yeah, I'm really proud of that. And I actually kind of am proud of it, you know, but it was forever. We've had this issue, which is power. Kind of hates the fourth estate. They hate journalism. And my father's an anchorman and a newsman, and we've always believed in the idea of when the other three estates, the judiciary branch and the executive branch, when they all fail you, you really need that fourth Estate. Right. It has to be the people that can hold people to account. And this is one of those. This is a moment of us at our best. And I always like to show. And I like the idea of seeing ourselves at our best. I think that's always an exciting thing to do.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, sometimes you are at your best when it is a very dark time, because that's when you have to be your best. And this was in the height of McCarthyism.

[George Clooney]

Well, it's. Yeah, I mean, you're never at your best when it's easy, you know, that's.

[Stephen Colbert]

Why it's called courage.

[George Clooney]

Yeah. But it's really true. Those whole ideas of, you know, being on the right side of history is not fun at the moment. When you do it, it's nice later when you can look back and go, wow, I was really. You know, and he could do that later.

[Stephen Colbert]

And everybody thinks they know how they would behave during rising fascism. Everybody thinks they know that how to behave until the pressure's on them, and everybody's just human, you know.

[George Clooney]

Although, you know, you pointed out some really interesting, you know, prosecutors who came up. Sure. Very strong, you know, in the last week, so.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hagen Scotten.

[George Clooney]

Yeah. What a good name.

[Stephen Colbert]

Beautiful.

[George Clooney]

Yeah. And I read that op ed that he wrote. It was really good. Listen, we're. We're, you know, we all. You know, it's a funny thing you were talking about because we're kind of talking around what's sort of the giant elephant always in the room. There's, you know, we all. I was raised a Democrat in Kentucky, so I've had a lot of fun in my life. You can imagine. It's been nothing but fun.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure.

[George Clooney]

And, you know, I've lost a lot of elections. First time I voted, it was 1980, so I was a Carter guy, and Reagan won, and then I lost to some Bushes, and I won with some Clintons and Obamas, and I lost. And, you know, this is democracy, and this is how it works. And, you know, what the hell?

[Stephen Colbert]

You go this time for you. How did I go? I forgot who you were supporting.

[George Clooney]

What am I supposed to do, you know, storm the Capitol? You know, it's like, it didn't work out.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's what happens.

[George Clooney]

There you go. Next time, it's part of democracy, and we'll get, you know, and there's the people who. And people who disagree, and most of us still like each other. We're all gonna get through it and get through. And then, you know, I have a son who plays in chess tournaments, loves Chess. He's seven years old, playing a lot of older kids, and he's not winning all the time, as you can imagine. And he gets upset. And I said, listen, you shake the guy's hand, you say, good game. I'll get you next time. And that's kind of how you gotta live by those rules, you know, which is all right. Okay. Good. Good for you. Go. I hope you. I hope you do well, because our country needs it. And then we'll meet you in three and a half years and see where we go next. That's part of the thing.

[Stephen Colbert]

What? That there'll be another. Not get out over our skis, George. Well, I don't. You know, you play by the rules, but both sides have to believe that there should be rules.

[George Clooney]

That's what I would say. Yeah. There's some truth there.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes. Well, I know they say if you're saving your country, you can commit no crime.

[George Clooney]

I heard that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[George Clooney]

Isn't that cool?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[George Clooney]

Wow. What a cool thing you said.

[Stephen Colbert]

You mentioned your dad was a journalist. Is your father still with us?

[George Clooney]

Yeah, he's still. He's not with us right now, no. But he's at home.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[George Clooney]

And he just had his 91st birthday. Wow.

[Stephen Colbert]

So he's old enough to remember. He's old enough to remember, you know, Murrah firsthand. What's he about?

[George Clooney]

Actually, for many reasons. I wrote it for my dad, too. You know, it was important. When we were starting to talk about it, my dad was like, listen, you can't. You know, it was when I was talking about the war back in the day, and people. It was very quiet at that time, and I was. People were protesting the films and stuff. And I said, am I in trouble? And my dad says, you know, do you have money? And I said, yes. And he goes, you know, you can't demand that, you know, freedom of speech and then say. But don't say bad things about me. You have to take it. Grow up. And I said, okay, fair enough. And my dad's always taught me about my dad. The theory when I was growing up was from the time I was a little kid, he said, I don't care what you do. I really don't care what you do in life. But what I do hope is that you defend people with less power than you and you go after people with more power than you. If you do that, you succeed. That's what he taught me to do. And I believe in that. And I fail.

[Stephen Colbert]

You fail?

[George Clooney]

I fail often, you know, And I think we do but that's okay, too.

[Stephen Colbert]

So you're here in this. This goes into the summer. How long is this gonna run?

[George Clooney]

Yeah, till June 8th. Fantastic.

[Stephen Colbert]

Are Amal and the kids here, too?

[George Clooney]

They're here.

[Stephen Colbert]

Are they, like, in New York? Have they lived in New York?

[George Clooney]

They were out. Yeah. Amal went to nyu, so. Yeah, she's been here for many times.

[Stephen Colbert]

What about the kids?

[George Clooney]

They did not go to nyu. All right, Jessica. They're smart kids, but not that quite.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do they like the city?

[George Clooney]

Yeah, they love this. I mean, come on. How do you not like this city? This is. It's New York City. Sure.

[Stephen Colbert]

Greatest mayor on the planet.

[George Clooney]

We have the greatest. Yeah. No, they love being here, and we're having a really fun time. And, you know, it's actually a play is kind of a good schedule in a way, because you're, you know, you're working at night and you get to see the kids during the day, so it's okay. That's nice. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, George, great to see you.

[George Clooney]

It's really good to see you. So much for coming by.

[Stephen Colbert]

Good luck memorizing the lines.

[George Clooney]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

I recommend a prompter.

[George Clooney]

I might need.

[Stephen Colbert]

Good night. And Good Luck is in. Previews beginning March 12th and opens on April 3rd at the Winter Garden Theater here in New York. 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.