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Unnamed Speaker 1
Oh, sheet.
Unnamed Speaker 2
Honey, chill. It's just laundry.
Unnamed Speaker 1
Not that. I'm talking about these Arm and hammer power sheets. All the power of arm hammer, laundry detergent in a convenient tossable sheet.
Unnamed Speaker 2
Oh, sheet.
Unnamed Speaker 1
That's what I'm saying.
Unnamed Speaker 2
And arm and hammer power sheets deliver an effective clean at a great price. Think of all the laundry we'll do.
Unnamed Speaker 1
And all the money we'll save.
Diane Morgan
Oh, sheet, arm and hammer. More power to you.
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Stephen Colbert
Hi, this is Stephen Colbert. Welcome to the Late Show Pod Show. I'm here with my producer, Becca. Becca. What gives?
Diane Morgan
Well, it's Tuesday here on the Late Show Pod show, and we've got a really fun interview going on the POD today. An extended interview with someone.
Stephen Colbert
Yeah. I always wanted you to give me a hint. I was hoping. We're gonna play the show.
Diane Morgan
Yeah. This is somebody who is not what they seem. They're someone who came as themselves, but usually plays a character.
Stephen Colbert
Is this Will Ferrell?
Diane Morgan
This is not Will Ferrell.
Stephen Colbert
Because Will came on in character.
Diane Morgan
Yeah.
Stephen Colbert
As Ron Burgundy.
Diane Morgan
Yes.
Stephen Colbert
Okay, so give me more hints.
Unnamed Speaker 3
This. Wait.
Stephen Colbert
This person usually plays a character but came as themselves?
Diane Morgan
Yes.
Stephen Colbert
Well, I mean, that's any actor, right? How does that help? That's terrible.
Diane Morgan
Well, this is somebody who does a sort of satirical. Oh.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Oh, this is the fellow made a cunk.
Diane Morgan
Diane Morgan.
Stephen Colbert
Diane Morgan. Exactly.
Diane Morgan
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Stephen Colbert
This. Oh, I love. Give me some Kunk.
Diane Morgan
Yeah, this is Kunk. She's so funny. I haven't watched that much of her, though. I've seen, like, the Shakespeare. I've seen Kunk on Shakespeare. She was on to promote Kunk on life.
Stephen Colbert
I've seen so much.
Diane Morgan
Yeah, dude.
Stephen Colbert
About a year and a half ago, I. Maybe even two years ago, I forgot when she started just sort of being her. Her English. The shows from the UK were being fed to me on by the algorithm and. And one of the algorithms. And I just couldn't believe how much I loved it. And I said, we have to get her on. I don't know. I don't care. Like, fly her in from London. I have to talk to this person. And they said, oh, she's doing Seth. I was like, ooh, you Son of a bitch. I wrote Seth. I'm like you. Oh, I'm so furious.
Unnamed Speaker 3
But good for you.
Stephen Colbert
Like, congrats. Like, good. Good eye, buddy. Good eye. And he goes, sometimes the 12:30 kid wins, you know, like.
Diane Morgan
No. Yeah. And Tom. Tom's been talking to me about her for a really long time. Tom, our executive producer.
Stephen Colbert
So wonderfully dumb.
Diane Morgan
Who also worked with you on Colbert Rapport.
Stephen Colbert
Yes.
Diane Morgan
And literally in this interview, I hear Tom laughing at, like, everything she says because he stands on stage, you know, slightly backstage from you.
Stephen Colbert
Tom is my executive producer.
Diane Morgan
Yeah. No, we're all fans of. Of this kind of stuff on this show. Yeah.
Stephen Colbert
She's so wonderfully dense.
Diane Morgan
Yeah.
Stephen Colbert
About knowledge. It just. Knowledge just does not penetrate her skull. She can't receive what the person is trying to tell her. It will not fit into the matrix of her worldview. I love it. The freedom involved in that. Just delicious.
Diane Morgan
Yeah.
Stephen Colbert
I just to see. I have such an appreciation for a performer who can go into that situation and render in real time that level of stupidity in the face of someone who is not a comedian.
Diane Morgan
Yeah.
Stephen Colbert
Just gorgeous.
Diane Morgan
Yeah.
Stephen Colbert
Just gorgeous.
Diane Morgan
Well, this is interesting because her interviews are not that dissimilar from the ones that you would do at the Daily show or Caber Report. You know, what would you call it? Like a satirical interview? What would you call in character?
Stephen Colbert
Just an in character interview.
Diane Morgan
In character interview. What? From doing those interviews for so long, did they teach you anything about the interviews you do now? Like, is there anything?
Stephen Colbert
No, I gotta say, I had to learn to interview all over again because those interviews were really about the interviewer. They're all about that character. And also, it was important to listen very hard for the opportunities to express your character. Not so much about what the person was telling you. It was how your character would interpret it, which is not the same thing as getting out that other person's idea, but quite the opposite, actually. And the other thing is that.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I.
Stephen Colbert
Guess that's the whole one. I guess that's the only thing. But that's a big thing because it has two parts to it. One is you interrupt them at any point. Their discomfort is part of the product. And I don't ever feel like, or rarely feel like the guest might get so mad at me, they'll take a poke at me.
Unnamed Speaker 3
But I really.
Stephen Colbert
The thing that kept me. People say, how do you keep from laughing in the middle of doing one of these? I would say, I'm afraid that this is gonna end in violence.
Diane Morgan
You get punched in the face.
Stephen Colbert
Yeah.
Diane Morgan
Nobody Wants that. Yeah, yeah. No, yeah. That's a good way to think about it, that. Because also now you're sort of. You're. You're a host. You want them to. You want them to be on their best legs, you know, promote what they want.
Stephen Colbert
I want them to get their idea out. I want them to feel good about the whole thing. And the old Joe, you know, not.
Diane Morgan
So much farming your own selfish harvest. Yeah, exactly.
Stephen Colbert
I was my own guest.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yes.
Stephen Colbert
Was the rule of the old show was the reason I crossed from the de. I made the entrance for every guest on the old show. I crossed from the desk to the interview area rather than the guest entering. And I took the applause and I took the bow because I was the guest and they got to be there with me while I was on more of my show. It was almost like I would do two acts of a show and then for the guest, I would go, all right, now time for me to talk.
Diane Morgan
Yeah, exactly. And now it's time for you to talk as well. It's time for you to talk to Diane Morgan, also known as Philomena Kunk, on the Late Show Pod Show. Check it out.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Welcome back, everybody. Ladies and gentlemen, you know my next guest from Motherland, Afterlife and Wallace and Gromit, vengeance most foul. She now returns as the brilliant documentarian Philomena Kunk in Kunk on Life.
Unnamed Speaker 4
So is this one of the few examples of a silent painting?
Unnamed Speaker 5
All paintings are silent.
Unnamed Speaker 4
If Edvard Monk knew, he wouldn't be able to hear it. Why didn't he wait till this bloke's mouth was closed before painting him? It's just annoying. I've noticed he's not moving either. Why is that?
Unnamed Speaker 5
Because he's rooted to the spot by the deep emotion he finds.
Unnamed Speaker 4
So it's a freeze frame of a painting.
Unnamed Speaker 5
It's a freeze frame of. Of a mood.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Drew Barrymore dies at the start of this painting, doesn't she? Do you know if they've got Scream 2 in this gallery as well?
Unnamed Speaker 5
Scream 2?
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yeah.
Unnamed Speaker 5
I'm afraid I don't know Scream 2.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I mean, this was based on the film, wasn't it?
Unnamed Speaker 5
I don't think he'd seen the film.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Please welcome to the Late Show, Diane Morgan.
Diane Morgan
Yeah.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Nice.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I think I'm gonna cry.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Please do.
Stephen Colbert
Oh, my God.
Unnamed Speaker 4
You don't get this in the uk. No.
Stephen Colbert
Okay. Welcome to the show.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Thank you.
Unnamed Speaker 3
As I was saying backstage, I'm a huge cunk head. And you've been playing Philomena Cunk for how long now?
Unnamed Speaker 4
Nearly. 10 years.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Nearly 10 years. I played a character for almost 10 years.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yeah.
Unnamed Speaker 3
I'm Stephen Colbert.
Stephen Colbert
Yeah.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Yeah. And I'm just curious, are there things I enjoyed? There were things that my character and I agreed on, that we were the same thing. And I didn't mind if the audience couldn't tell which one it was. Is there parts of Philomena that are you.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I'd say I'm sort of 99% Philomena kunk.
Unnamed Speaker 3
And the 1%.
Unnamed Speaker 4
The 1% is just social skills. I'd be her. If I didn't have any social skills. If I didn't have to be nice to people. If I could just be rude.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Yes. She's not rude. I don't think she's rude.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Oh, she is.
Unnamed Speaker 3
She is.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Oh, my God.
Unnamed Speaker 3
She just strikes me as, like, sort of unaware of the effect that she's got.
Unnamed Speaker 4
No, she'll just yawn in someone's face if she's bored.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Oh.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Which is lovely to do.
Unnamed Speaker 3
How do you keep a straight face?
Unnamed Speaker 4
Um, I think I'm just aware of how important it is to not laugh.
Stephen Colbert
Ah.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Are you ever afraid? One of the things that used to help me, people would say, how do you keep a straight face? And I'd say, I'm afraid of violence.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Oh.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Cause I would say things that would upset people so much. I was afraid they were gonna take a poke at me.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yeah. I mean, I would quite like someone to punch me. There was in the first series we did. We got some guy in and we were trampling all over his favorite topic.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Yeah. Which was. Do you remember?
Unnamed Speaker 4
I think it might have been Churchill. It might not have been. Okay, let's say it was Churchill. Yeah, let's say it was Churchill. And he looked like he was gonna punch me. He was going very blue in the face and he was furious. But he didn't. And I was sort of gutted. Cause I thought that would have made great entertainment. Did you never have that feeling then that you were like, constantly, please punch me. And it'll be really.
Unnamed Speaker 3
No, I never had the please punch me. But I did. I did have the. I think this guy might punch me. I had that feeling many, many times. I always loved it when they would threaten to walk out. And then my producers would go, no, no, no, please stay. And I go, don't ever ask them to stay.
Stephen Colbert
Yeah.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Get them their back. Walking out of the room is magic.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yeah. Chef's kiss. Lovely.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Yeah. You sound like Philomena Kunk.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yes, that's. Cause we're the same person.
Unnamed Speaker 3
The Same person. Okay. Did you ever think about losing the accent? Where is. I'm sorry, I don't know English accents very well. Where are you from?
Unnamed Speaker 4
This is a Lancashire accent.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Is that up north?
Unnamed Speaker 4
It's up north. It's Manchester. Near Manchester.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Okay, got it, yeah.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Oh, from people from Manchester.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Y.
Unnamed Speaker 4
You've just heard of Manchester? Yeah.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Did you think about losing that?
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yeah, I did. Because at drama school, they sort of thought that you'd get more work if you were posh. And.
Unnamed Speaker 3
And posh is like London neutral.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Received pronunciation. Yeah, received pronunciation.
Unnamed Speaker 3
And how would you say received pronunciation with a. Received pronunciation?
Unnamed Speaker 4
Received pronunciation really well, a bit like that. But, you know, and I tried, I really did, because I used to say things like instead of saying chair, I'd say, come and sit in this chair, and people would laugh at me. So I really made a conscious effort to change it. So I've changed bits. I've changed the most embarrassing bits, but I just keep a lot of it.
Unnamed Speaker 3
What do you most like about being this character? Filomena.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I think it's really freeing being able to say exactly what you want to people. It's like a superpower. I honestly, I feel like, like. Like you're in a suit of armor. You can do anything. Nothing's wrong because it's not you, it's them.
Unnamed Speaker 3
You're. Do you learn. You have to learn a lot to know so little, I would imagine. Do you actually have to study up on the subject to make sure you get it wrong, or do you really just.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I'd love to say yes, that's true.
Unnamed Speaker 3
You actually just don't know anything.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I don't know anything.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Yeah. Do you accidentally learn things with the.
Unnamed Speaker 4
No, I never remember anything. The minute the show's finished, it's all just gone out of my head. You know, I only remember weird stuff like. Like the Battle of Hastings.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Sure. 1066.
Unnamed Speaker 4
1066. Everyone knows the year.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Yep.
Unnamed Speaker 4
The only other interesting fact about that is that a man got an arrow in his eye. That's it.
Unnamed Speaker 3
That's the English king and I don't.
Unnamed Speaker 4
The English king, Harold. Yeah. I don't know who it was. Harold, you know more than I. Some guy got an arrow in his eye.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Right. Is there a dream guest? Is there someone you'd like to interview as kunk that you haven't had a chance to interview yet?
Unnamed Speaker 4
Elon Musk. That'd be great, wouldn't it?
Stephen Colbert
That would be great.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Ask him about his rocket. Or Putin. Putin would make a great.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Against Putin, sure.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Putin. Have Putin Would make a great.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Have somebody else taste your sushi after that one, I would imagine.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I know. Covered in novichok.
Unnamed Speaker 3
That's right, yeah. Art is a frequent topic of your show. I understand that you wanted to be an artist at one point.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yeah, I did. I did think about going to art school.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Yeah.
Unnamed Speaker 4
And what gives? Well, I went and I took my portfolio and they looked through it and everything and then they said, you don't seem that interested. They said, is this something you'd rather do? And I said, well, actually I'd rather be an actor. And they said, well, go and do it. And I thought, yeah, yeah. All you needed was gonna go and do it.
Stephen Colbert
Wow.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Yeah, yeah. Did you think you were. When was your greatest worry about whether or not you would do it? Because this is great. You've been doing. You've done many things, but you've been very successful.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I could do. So I have a plan B.
Unnamed Speaker 3
That's important.
Unnamed Speaker 4
It's important to not have a plan B.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Yes. Desperation alone will make you work harder.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yes, yes. I only ever did terrible jobs, you.
Stephen Colbert
Know, can I hear.
Unnamed Speaker 3
I love terrible jobs. Yeah, yeah, I did some terrible jobs.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Oh, did you? Oh, yeah, yeah. What was your worst job?
Unnamed Speaker 3
My worst job. My worst job is that I, you know what? A futon. Do you guys ever.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yeah, well, the sofa.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Sofa? Yeah. I made futon frames out of two by fours in my own basement.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Wow.
Unnamed Speaker 3
And they were terrible.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Did anyone buy one?
Unnamed Speaker 3
Several people bought them and all of them broke in the middle of the night. And I would just grab a cordless grill and put a bunch of screws in my pocket and show up to their house and screw it back together and say, ride as rain and go home.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Oh my God.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Because I sure as wasn't giving their money back.
Unnamed Speaker 4
How long did you do that for?
Unnamed Speaker 3
About a year.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Wow.
Unnamed Speaker 3
How about you?
Unnamed Speaker 4
Worst job I had was packing worming tablets for dogs in a factory.
Unnamed Speaker 3
So you're packing just medicine in a tablet?
Unnamed Speaker 4
It was basically just doing this for 10 hours a day and we weren't allowed to sit down and we weren't allowed to talk to anyone. So it was just for 10 and we had a half hour break. And then we were just like that for 10 hours.
Unnamed Speaker 3
And how long did you do this job?
Unnamed Speaker 4
About two months.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Wow.
Unnamed Speaker 4
I was made redundant.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Wow. Did you get to listen to music or anything or was it.
Unnamed Speaker 4
No, it was awful. But it's really good for you because it makes you think, oh my God, I've really got to pull my socks up.
Unnamed Speaker 3
I did I tore out fiberglass insulation. Like blown fiberglass. Not the sheet kind, but literally like loose blown fiberglass insulation. I did demo and I would pull down the ceilings and it would just rain down on me. For a company that gave me no goggles or any face masks.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Oh my God.
Unnamed Speaker 3
And I thought I should study harder.
Unnamed Speaker 4
Yeah, everyone should have a terrible job at least once.
Stephen Colbert
Yeah.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Now Kunk is a huge success. There have been numerous series. But now you've got a book right here. The World According to Kunk, right there. Congratulations. It's a long mark of the book and you've been nominated for baftas twice. Is your family proud of you?
Unnamed Speaker 4
No, they don't know. I mean, never hear from them. You know, if a show goes out like that, like con, con life has gone out. But I've not heard if they've seen it.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Really?
Unnamed Speaker 4
Not even like a text going, oh, we saw your show. Nothing.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Right. Any chance they're gonna watch this?
Unnamed Speaker 4
I hope so. I mean, I hope my auntie doesn't watch it. Cause there's quite a rude scene in it and I think really about hurt. No, no. This is a big. There's a big sex scene in it, isn't there?
Unnamed Speaker 3
With you?
Unnamed Speaker 4
Well, I'm in the scene, but I'm not actually participating in the. You've seen it, haven't you?
Unnamed Speaker 3
I've seen sex.
Unnamed Speaker 4
So you know.
Unnamed Speaker 3
Kunk on life and the book the World According to Kunk is available now. Diane Morgan, 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 me, come to The Late Show YouTube.
Stephen Colbert
Channel for more clips and exclusives.
Podcast Title: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert
Host: Stephen Colbert
Guest: Diane Morgan (Philomena Kunk)
Release Date: February 12, 2025
In this extended episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert, host Stephen Colbert engages in a deep and humorous conversation with comedian Diane Morgan, best known for her creation and portrayal of the satirical character Philomena Kunk. The episode delves into Diane's creative process, the evolution of her character, and the dynamics of conducting in-character interviews. This summary captures the essence of their engaging discussion, highlighting key moments and insightful exchanges.
Diane Morgan, a celebrated comedian and writer, is renowned for her portrayal of Philomena Kunk, a satirical documentary filmmaker. Over nearly a decade, Morgan has developed Kunk into a beloved character, earning BAFTA nominations and authoring a book titled The World According to Kunk. Her comedic style blends sharp wit with a unique character perspective, making her interviews both entertaining and thought-provoking.
Notable Quote:
"I'd say I'm sort of 99% Philomena Kunk. The 1% is just social skills. I'd be her if I didn't have any social skills. If I didn't have to be nice to people. If I could just be rude."
— Diane Morgan (07:54)
Morgan discusses the origins of Philomena Kunk, highlighting the decision to maintain her Lancashire accent despite initial pressures to adopt a more "received pronunciation" to secure acting roles. This choice underscores her commitment to authenticity and adds a distinctive flavor to her character.
Notable Quote:
"Received pronunciation really well, a bit like that. But, you know, and I tried, I really did, because I used to say things like instead of saying chair, I'd say, come and sit in this chair, and people would laugh at me."
— Diane Morgan (10:27)
Morgan explains how retaining her natural accent not only preserves the character’s uniqueness but also contributes to the humor and relatability of Philomena Kunk.
A significant portion of the discussion centers on the challenges and nuances of conducting in-character interviews. Stephen Colbert reflects on his transition from character-driven interviews on shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to a more straightforward hosting style. He emphasizes the importance of genuine conversations over maintaining a persona.
Notable Quote:
"I had to learn to interview all over again because those interviews were really about the interviewer. They're all about that character."
— Stephen Colbert (03:56)
Morgan adds her perspective on maintaining the character's integrity while allowing for authentic interactions with guests. She highlights the delicate balance between humor and meaningful dialogue, ensuring that the character remains entertaining without overshadowing the guest.
The conversation shifts to the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the show, particularly the role of executive producer Tom and his interactions during interviews. Both Colbert and Morgan share anecdotes about producer Tom's reactions to Morgan's comedic timing and the collective appreciation for the humor he brings to the set.
Notable Quote:
"He's so wonderfully dumb. About knowledge. It just, knowledge just does not penetrate her skull. She can't receive what the person is trying to tell her. It will not fit into the matrix of her worldview. I love it."
— Stephen Colbert (03:05)
These insights reveal the collaborative and humorous environment that fuels the creative energy of The Late Show Pod Show.
Morgan and Colbert share stories about their worst jobs before achieving success in entertainment. These anecdotes provide a glimpse into Morgan's resilience and humor, illustrating the path that led her to create and embody Philomena Kunk.
Notable Quotes:
Stephen Colbert: "My worst job is that I, you know what? A futon. Do you guys ever."
— Stephen Colbert (13:42)
Diane Morgan: "Worst job I had was packing worming tablets for dogs in a factory. It was basically just doing this for 10 hours a day and we weren't allowed to sit down and we weren't allowed to talk to anyone."
— Diane Morgan (14:28)
These stories not only add depth to the conversation but also highlight the comedians' shared experiences of overcoming challenging circumstances to pursue their passion.
Morgan elaborates on the creative freedom that comes with portraying Philomena Kunk, describing it as a "superpower" that allows her to express candid thoughts without personal repercussions. She also shares her desire to interview notable figures like Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin, envisioning how her character's unique perspective would interact with such prominent personalities.
Notable Quote:
"I think it's really freeing being able to say exactly what you want to people. It's like a superpower. I honestly, I feel like, like. Like you're in a suit of armor. You can do anything. Nothing's wrong because it's not you, it's them."
— Diane Morgan (11:01)
This segment underscores Morgan's dedication to her craft and her aspiration to push the boundaries of satirical interviewing.
The extended interview between Stephen Colbert and Diane Morgan offers listeners an in-depth look into the nuances of character-based comedy and the evolution of a beloved satirical figure. Through candid conversations and humorous exchanges, the episode celebrates Morgan's achievements and her contributions to modern comedy. The discussion not only entertains but also provides valuable insights into the creative processes behind successful comedic personas.
Final Notable Quote:
"Kunk on life and the book The World According to Kunk is available now."
— Stephen Colbert (16:21)
Listeners are encouraged to explore Morgan's work further through her book and the featured episodes of Philomena Kunk, available on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Paramount+.
Call to Action:
For more clips and exclusive content, visit The Late Show YouTube channel. Don't forget to use the discount code "TLS20” for 20% off all The Late Show with Stephen Colbert products on ParamountShop.com.