The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Nick Offerman | Arch Madness
Date: October 17, 2025
Guest: Nick Offerman

Episode Overview

This episode balances Stephen Colbert’s signature satirical monologue on current politics—focusing on Trump’s plans for a "Triumphal Arch" in D.C. and GOP controversies—with a warm, humorous interview with actor, woodworker, and author Nick Offerman. Colbert and Offerman revisit the “Community Calendar” segment for Minooka, Illinois, and dive into Offerman’s latest woodworking book for children, discussing family, craft, and the value of hands-on creation in a tech-saturated world.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Monologue: National Bosses Day, Trump’s Vanity Projects, and GOP Controversies

[02:05 – 13:16]

Main Points

• National Bosses Day Jokes: Colbert wryly celebrates the new Paramount CEO, pokes fun at office small talk, and riffs on gifting awkward silences to one’s boss.

  • "I want to take a moment to celebrate my new boss, Paramount CEO David Ellison. Mr. Ellison, I love you. That ought to buy us a couple more months." (02:28)

• Trump’s ‘Triumphal Arch’: Colbert skewers Trump for displaying a neoclassical arch model at a donor dinner, comparing it to dictatorial architectural vanity projects, and jokes about Trump claiming to invent arches.

  • "Announcing your own triumphal arch is textbook dictator." (05:51)
  • "The President also invented the inclined plane and the concept of fear." (06:13)

• Propaganda Video Debacle: Trump’s team shares a video purportedly showing violence in Chicago, but the footage is revealed to be from other states. Colbert satirizes the “oopsie fakie” approach.

  • "If you want to prove the real dangers of Chicago, just show a deep dish pizza, okay? It can kill you slowly over years, or... instantly if you don't have a snorkel." (07:09)

• GOP Swastika Scandal: Colbert dissects the fallout from a swastika flag found in a Republican congressional office and the party’s comical attempts at damage control, including claims of an "optical illusion."

  • "Looks like we gotta reset the sign. Days since last Republican Nazi thing. Zero." (09:22)
  • "That's like going to your Aunt Diane's beach house and having her claim she doesn't really believe it's wine o'clock somewhere." (10:36)
  • "If the extremely tidy vandal excuse seems lame, wait till you hear what they trotted out next." (10:53)

2. Community Calendar: Minooka, Illinois

[14:19 – 19:28]

Main Points

• Revisiting Minooka: Nick Offerman (who grew up in Minooka, IL) returns for a fresh round of Community Calendar events—following up on a similar segment from nine years ago.

  • Colbert: "Wait, are you saying more things have happened in Minooka, Illinois since then?"
    Offerman: "I'm afraid so." (15:14–15:20)

• Actual (and hilarious) events covered include:

  • Chair Yoga at Minooka Library (Oct 30):
    "Perfect way for your recliner to limber up and stop being such a lazy boy." (16:16)
  • Conspiracy Scavenger Hunt in Joliet:
    "Or at least that’s what they want you to believe." (16:20)
  • Annual Halloween Parade:
    "...passing out literature and candy. So stop by for some Three Musketeers and the Three Musketeers." (16:34)
  • Viking Strength Challenge (Nov 15):
    "Second place will get loaded onto a boat and set on fire." (16:48)
  • Kids' Haunted Birdhouse Project:
    "Bring a pre-murdered bird, preferably one with a vengeful spirit and unfinished business." (17:07)
  • Pop the Balloon Speed Dating (Oct 29):
    "Perfect for anyone who enjoys rejection paired with loud noises." (17:27)
  • Adults-Only Naughty Bingo:
    "Watch Bad Jeff take out a ball and announce i69." (17:52)
  • Autumn Resonance Sound Journey & Gong Wash (Oct 24):
    "I have an extremely filthy gong because I lent it to Bad Jeff." (18:15)
  • Moonlight Horseback Ride & Chili Supper:
    "Come on out and blame your farts on a horse." (19:02)
  • Notable Wrap-up Quote:
    Offerman: "If you are experiencing events in your Grundy area, consult a physician." (19:22)

3. Interview: Nick Offerman on Family, Woodworking, and “Little Woodchucks”

[20:42 – 31:08]

Main Discussion Points

• On New Book “Little Woodchucks”:

  • Guide to tools for children and families, encouraging hands-on skills and togetherness without screens.
  • Colbert: "Your new book is Little Woodchucks Offerman Woodchuck's Guide to Tools and Tomfoolery." (21:12)
  • Offerman: "Because I know a lot of grown up woodchucks who also don't know how to use tools." (21:22)
  • Family tradition—learning by doing and sharing skills with each generation.

• Childhood Memories of Tool Use:

  • Trying out the chainsaw as a birthday rite of passage, failing the first few years due to the weight.
    • Offerman: "Every year, dad would try me out on the chainsaw on my birthday." (21:48)
    • Colbert: "How does one fail? Chainsaw."
      Offerman: "It's very heavy." (22:04–22:09)

• Philosophy of Making:

  • Value of good work, family collaboration, and skills that outlast trends.
  • Offerman: "Learning to do things together as a family that require no screens, that require eye contact and feeling. Feeling the strength. Like taking your measure." (22:20)
  • On the importance of making things: "That's the thing. When you learn how to use tools ... and you learn how to make things with your family, somebody's gonna be good at it and somebody's gonna be bad at it, but... you don't find out these things until you get in the shop and play with each other." (29:56)

• First Proud Woodworking Project:

  • Blanket chest for a girlfriend in high school, inscribed with a (slightly modified) Bible verse.
    • Offerman: "A time to weep, a time to laugh. A time to pork. ... A time to plow." (23:30)
    • Colbert: "Did you get the kiss?"
      Offerman: "I got kissed." (24:07–24:09)

• On Sharp Tools and Safety:

  • Advocates for sharp tools, explains safety practices, and why dull blades are more dangerous.
    • Offerman: "It's a common misconception that you don't want to give a sharp tool to a kid ... But if you use a sharp blade and the right techniques, then it's much safer. And it carves like butter." (24:29–25:19)

• Wendell Berry's Influence:

  • Shares Berry’s quote: “It all turns on affection” and “good work is our joy and salvation.” (25:31–26:01)
    • Offerman: "Good work is our joy and salvation." (26:01)
    • Ties woodworking to a deeper purpose of service, authenticity, and knowing the sources and impact of what we create and consume.

• Favorite Wood to Work With:

  • American white oak (quercus alba) for its versatility—a ship or a barrel for whiskey.
    • Offerman: "If I can only work with one wood, ... the catch all is quercus alba, the white oak. American white oak." (28:41)
    • Colbert: "Perhaps Lagavulin."
      Offerman: "I mean, to name one." (29:17)

• Making for Loved Ones:

  • The most special item made for his wife, Megan—heart-shaped walnut box for his proposal.
    • Offerman: "I made a heart shaped walnut box that held the ring with which I proposed to her. And, you know, it worked." (29:44)
    • Colbert: "You got the kiss."
      Offerman: "Yeah." (29:55)

• Human Connection & Anti-Algorithm Advocacy:

  • Encourages human skill, agency, and connection over automated or AI-driven interactions.
    • Offerman: "Our society is telling us you should stop thinking. You should turn over your agency to AI and software and algorithms. And I rage against that. ... I don't want a robot to tell my mom and dad that I love them. I want to tell them with a nice sawhorse that I've made them." (29:56–30:58)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Colbert, on the swastika controversy:

  • "That's like going to your Aunt Diane's beach house and having her claim she doesn't really believe it's wine o'clock somewhere." (10:36)

• Offerman, on family making traditions:

  • "In a family that makes things together, that's part of your training ... That's what this book is all about, is like learning to do things together as a family that require no screens, that require eye contact and feeling." (22:20)

• On sharp tools and safety:

  • "If you use a sharp blade and the right techniques, then it's much safer. And it carves like butter." (25:19)

• Offerman quoting Wendell Berry:

  • "Good work is our joy and salvation." (26:01)

• Offerman, on technology vs. craftsmanship:

  • "I want to maintain my human independence. My clumsy, stupid voice does me very well. Like, I don't want a robot to tell my mom and dad that I love them. I want to tell them with a nice sawhorse that I've made them." (29:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Monologue & Trump/GOP bits: 02:05 – 13:16
• Community Calendar: Minooka, IL: 14:19 – 19:28
• Nick Offerman Interview: 20:42 – 31:08

Tone, Style, and Flow

The episode maintains the Late Show’s blend of biting political satire, affectionate ribbing, and heartwarming comedic sincerity. Colbert and Offerman’s banter is wry, gentle, and deeply rooted in Midwestern humility and humor—even as they lampoon the week’s most surreal political news.

For New Listeners

If you’ve never heard the show, this episode is a great snapshot: news humor with a point, a loving look at small-town America, and an extended, inspiring chat about family, craft, and staying present in the modern world. Offerman’s practical wisdom and Colbert’s comedic timing combine for an engaging, memorable hour.