Stephen Presents: Michelle Buteau

Summary

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Episode: Stephen Presents: Michelle Buteau
Release Date: April 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert, host Stephen Colbert teams up with co-host Tommy Morrissey to deliver a mix of humor, insightful conversations, and an in-depth interview with the vibrant comedian and actress, Michelle Buteau. The episode seamlessly blends lighthearted banter about Easter traditions and the art of smoking meats with Michelle's journey in the entertainment industry, her personal life, and her latest projects.

Main Conversation: Stephen Colbert and Tommy Morrissey

The episode kicks off with Stephen and Tommy discussing Easter festivities, where they humorously lament the absence of traditional egg hunts for children, noting, “[02:10]Tommy Morrissey: We didn't do any of that stuff that we don't have the kids this year. Oh yeah, they're adults. Boo.”

The Art of Smoking Meat

Transitioning from Easter, the conversation shifts to the intricate process of smoking meats. Tommy shares his enthusiasm for high-tech smoking equipment, detailing the functionalities of the Green Egg Genius Fan:

• Temperature Control: “[03:54]Tommy Morrissey: Then the probe, when it hits that temperature, it goes, well, what do you want to do now?... It sends you a notice to your phone.”
• Remote Monitoring: “[05:02]Stephen Colbert: Wow. And you're controlling it on your phone.”
• Personal Anecdotes: Tommy reminisces about his mentor, Bunky, a seasoned pitmaster, emphasizing the importance of quality and consistency in smoking meats.

Practical Tips for Traditional Grilling

Stephen seeks advice on traditional grilling methods suitable for his Weber grill, prompting Tommy to offer expert tips:

• Charcoal Selection: “[07:06]Tommy Morrissey: Well, get all natural. Like chunk charcoal. Like lump charcoal.”
• Wood Choice: “[07:35]Stephen Colbert: Okay. “[07:36]Tommy Morrissey: And then get a cherry wood or something like that to smoke. Or apple.”
• Cooking Techniques: Detailed guidance on maintaining moisture and achieving the perfect sear is provided, highlighting Tommy’s expertise in the culinary arts.

Guest Interview: Michelle Buteau

Career Highlights

Stephen introduces Michelle Buteau, praising her infectious energy: “[09:48]Stephen Colbert: Today we have the very fun Michelle Buteau.” Michelle recounts her experience taping her second special at Radio City, expressing the emotional connection with her audience:

• “[15:21]Michelle Buteau: It was amazing. It was so, like, important and wild and delightful.”

Family Life

Michelle shares glimpses into her personal life, including her role as a mother to twin six-year-olds:

• “[15:54]Michelle Buteau: They are twins.”
• “[17:10]Michelle Buteau: They're here, though. They're in the green room. Is this my camera? Hi, Hazel. Hi, Otis.”

She humorously discusses the dynamics between her children:

• “[17:49]Michelle Buteau: They're sort of like an old married couple... It’s so nice to watch them just like have a built-in best friend and like relationship and fight at all times of the day.”

Project Highlights

Survival of the Thickest – Season 2

Michelle delves into her role as a creator and star of the second season of Survival of the Thickest:

• “[18:26]Michelle Buteau: It feels so good. I don't want it to end... It's about uplifting voices. Black, brown, fat, queer voices, trans voices, non-binary voices.”
• She emphasizes the show's mission: “[18:30]Michelle Buteau: It's education through love. It's hilarious, honey. Good luck. You're gonna have so much fun watching it.”

Spa Weekend in Australia

Discussing her recent filming experience in Australia, Michelle shares both the challenges and memorable moments:

• “[19:28]Michelle Buteau: We filmed seven weeks in Australia.”
• A humorous anecdote about encountering a large spider on set: “[19:55]Michelle Buteau: That spider was so big. Like everything you own in the box to the left. It was crazy.”

Personal Insights and Reflections

Michelle reflects on her journey and the importance of authenticity in her work:

• “[18:37]Michelle Buteau: If you're doing this thing that you love for the rest of your life, then it won't end. You have to be comfortable with rejection. You have to always pump yourself up. And I think specificity and being true to who you are... is how I can sleep at night.”

She underscores the significance of representation and creating inclusive spaces:

• “[18:30]Michelle Buteau: Because we all matter and we deserve to have our moment.”

Notable Quotes

• Michelle Buteau on Authenticity and Representation:
  “[18:37] If you're doing this thing that you love for the rest of your life, then it won't end... you have to always pump yourself up.”

• Tommy Morrissey on Cooking Mastery:
  “[07:06] You want the lump natural lump charcoal... it just stays hot for a long time.”

• Michelle Buteau on Family Dynamics:
  “[17:49] They're sort of like an old married couple... it's so nice to watch them just like have a built-in best friend and like relationship and fight at all times of the day.”

Key Takeaways

1. Balancing Personal and Professional Life: Michelle Buteau highlights the importance of maintaining authenticity and uplifting diverse voices in her work, while also navigating the joys and challenges of motherhood.

2. Expertise in Culinary Arts: Tommy Morrissey provides valuable insights into the art of smoking meats, emphasizing the significance of quality ingredients and precise temperature control.

3. Importance of Representation: Michelle emphasizes that creating inclusive content not only entertains but also educates and empowers marginalized communities.

4. Technical Skills in Grilling: The discussion between Stephen and Tommy offers listeners practical tips for enhancing their grilling techniques, whether using high-tech equipment or traditional methods.

5. Humorous Anecdotes: Both hosts and Michelle infuse the conversation with humor, making the episode entertaining and relatable.

Conclusion

This episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert masterfully blends comedy, personal stories, and insightful discussions. Stephen and Tommy's chemistry sets a lighthearted tone, while Michelle Buteau's candid reflections provide depth and inspiration. Whether you're a fan of comedy, grilling, or engaging conversations, this episode offers something for everyone.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Tommy Morrissey]

I've been counted out, dismissed, passed over, told I'd never be a golfer with just one arm. But the only thing that feels better than proving people wrong is out driving them. I'm 14 year old golfer Tommy Morrissey and I want to be remembered for.

[Bank of America]

My ability as a champion partner of the Masters. Bank of America supports everyone determined to find out what's possible in golf and in life. What would you like the power to do? Bank of America bank of America NA Member FDIC Copyright 2025 bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Hey, welcome to the Wednesdays the Wednesday Podcast. The Wednesday Podcast Wednesday Podcast for the week after Easter of 2025. Are we in 2025?

[Stephen Colbert]

We're in 2025. You hide all your eggs in a basket. What do you do? You any. Any fun Easter eggs?

[Tommy Morrissey]

We didn't do any of that stuff that we don't have the kids this year. Oh yeah, they're adults. Boo.

[Stephen Colbert]

What adults can't have a fun plastic egg hunter?

[Tommy Morrissey]

Well, they can still come, but I think Evie actually mailed them their baskets.

[Stephen Colbert]

That sounds like something Evie would do. That's really nice.

[Tommy Morrissey]

I think. And then they probably got like something like one little present in the basket like wine open. You Know some mildly adult thing in there. But not aren't big Easter presents. If they were with us we'd take them like shopping for clothes or something. But they have all better deal to. Well, their loss.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Cuz we're fun.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do you cook something fun on Easter? Is there a food? It's not. It's not like a.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Well, I mean it's kind of like we didn't really do like traditional. Like I think a ham is like traditional on Easter, but I don't. The thing that I like to do on Easter, which I haven't done much because Evie doesn't like custards is like an English or like an Easter. Like a real like golden custard. Like a high yoke golden custard. Which used to be a thing that you would do like in cheesecloth and let it set in the cheesecloth. And so then when you're done it looks like the sun. You know, it's supposed to be like a springtime thing. I loves me a custard, baby.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, yum.

[Tommy Morrissey]

But we'll probably. You know what I'll probably do is I'll probably smoke something.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's 4:20.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Yeah, it is this year. Easter. 4:20.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

No, I'll probably just smoke something. I'll get up in the morning, I'll smoke like. I don't know. Evie won't eat pork. I don't know what I'm gonna smoke.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh. I literally didn't know what you're talking about.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Oh, no, you. No. Oh. Oh, no, no, no.

[Stephen Colbert]

You got the green.

[Tommy Morrissey]

I got a green egg. Green egg. I got the green egg. I got the egg. Genius too. Which is a little fan that you attach to the bottom fan, the intake fan. You attach it down there, you seal off the intake vent. You just leave a little hole to put this fan in. And then the. Your WI fi. Whoa. WI fi connects.

[Stephen Colbert]

Smart smoking.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And then it's got. It is smart smoking. It's got two probes and they're not a sponsor, but one probe goes into. One probe clicks to the inside of your dome of your green egg to figure out what the heat is in there. And the other one goes into whatever thing you're smoking. And you could do a nine hour smoke and you kind of don't have to look at it as long as you've got the right fuel at the bottom. You've already put in your smoke chunks like whatever your wood you're going with like cherry, maple, whatever. And then it just feeds to your phone. What the temperature is you put in. I want it to be at this temperature. And the fan blows the air to that temperature and leaves it exactly there. And then you put a probe in your meat. And then that probe, when it hits that temperature, it goes, well, what do you want to do now? It sends you a notice to your phone. It goes, we've. We've held the right temperature. We've. We've. With this thing is the temperature you gave me. I don't know if that's done, but that's temperature you gave me. All I can do is what you gave me.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And then you can go, all right, let's crank up that fan and let's get a sear for the last couple minutes. And then it brings the temperature right up, man.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow. And you're controlling it on your phone.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Or it's just like, go fishing and just. And just follow it on my phone. Whoa. You can go spend your day someplace else because it's. And wherever you are, it takes hours.

[Stephen Colbert]

Right? Or.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Yeah. Like a big pork belly. I could do nine. I could do nine hours on a pork belly. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Oh, yeah. But it's. Oh, man. But it's so good, man.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Slap your grandma.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, my God.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Delicious, man. Fall off the lack of bone, because there's no bone.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's. That's a level of meat, high tech. I was not aware of. Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

I mean, I was not aware until a few years ago, my brother in law, Bunky. Who is Bunky? Bunky.

[Stephen Colbert]

All right. Cool.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Quality. Quality fella. Bunky.

[Stephen Colbert]

I bet.

[Tommy Morrissey]

As you know, as Tom Purcell, my executive producer goes, you don't meet a lot of ass named Bunky. That name won't stick to somebody who's a jerk. And so his name is Bunky. His name is Frederick. Frederick Wickman, but everybody calls him Bunky. And he's a salty old dog sailor, boat builder, and a meat master. He's a pit. He's a pit lord.

[Stephen Colbert]

Cool.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And he gave me a couple years ago, gave me the. The egg. Genius fan. He did not have one. He does not need one.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh. Oh.

[Tommy Morrissey]

But he was like, let me help you with your game, because I've never made anything as good as everything he makes. Like his burn ends. Get out of here.

[Stephen Colbert]

An important person to have in your life.

[Tommy Morrissey]

100%. Because I could learn a lot. I can learn a lot from him.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

So we're going to be smoking some meats this week.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay. I have a question from a very low tech standpoint. Maybe Bunky, if you're listening. You can give him my email and we can talk. But I have a charcoal real normal Weber grill in my backyard and I wanna be doing baby back ribs. Oh, sure. But someone I met. This is the most Brooklyn thing I think I've said on the podcast. I met a chef named Hans who told me that you have to get a different kind of briquette, like a larger, longer briquette coal that has more surface area on it so that they burn slower.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Well, get all natural. Like chunk charcoal. Like lump charcoal. Big all natural lump charcoal. And you can look at it and it looks like sawn through branches. You don't want the briquettes.

[Stephen Colbert]

You don't want the briquettes.

[Tommy Morrissey]

You don't want briquettes because they hold them together with chemicals and everything. You don't want to do that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay. Okay.

[Tommy Morrissey]

So even if it says, like, all natural.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

You want the lump natural lump charcoal.

[Stephen Colbert]

That looks like wood.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Yeah, yeah, it looks like wood. And I mean, it looks like charcoal, but it's shaped like wood.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And then get a cherry wood or something like that to smoke. Or apple. Apple's really good to smoke your ribs. And those. Get those big chunks, too, because then.

[Stephen Colbert]

It'Ll just be able to stay hot.

[Tommy Morrissey]

It just stays hot for a long time. What you want is consistency.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And you can do it on a regular Weber. You just have to work those vents at the bottom and the top and just choke off. Just choke down that bottom hard, girl. First of all, get. Get those coals going. Get those hots. You get a nice good ash on all those coals. And then scrape them to one side.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay. And then you do the indirect side.

[Tommy Morrissey]

You do the indirect heat. And then underneath the indirect side, put a pan of water to keep the moisture level because it helps the smoke get into on the hot side. Keeps it moist. Oh, no, no. On the cool side. On the cool side, you put that pan. The pan will get hotter because it's near the coals. And then you put the meat over that. First of all, it drips into your. The water. And then the mixture of the steam from the water and the smoke helps it really get in and cling to the meat and also keeps the meat moist. And there's a process. We'll walk you through this. You want to wrap them. You're going to want to wrap them. Throw a couple pads of butter in there. Like, we'll talk through it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, cool.

[Tommy Morrissey]

But you can 100% get high quality. It takes more futzing than a green egg.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

But, but it's possible what the green egg gives you or any one of these, like a high end smoker or grill that's got a ceramic shell is that it's consistency of temperature to be able to control the fine control of the temperature. Because if you are getting to smoking, you want to get something to stay like 225, which is low, just barely above boiling for nine hours. You have to like have a really efficient like firebox.

[Stephen Colbert]

Totally.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And so. But you can do it. You can do it, baby. I believe in you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thanks, Steven. Wow. This is, this is Pod show Meat Lessons with Cedar Colbert. Yeah, I'm more the wiser. Yeah, yeah, I'm going to give it a shot. I'm going to give it a shot soon.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Well, next time we're together, maybe get a report.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, definitely. All right, so we're going to launch into who we got today.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Who do we have? I haven't even thought about that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Who do we have today? Today we have the very fun Michelle Buteau.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Oh, she's very funny. A lot of energy, like I don't need coffee.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Tommy Morrissey]

When Michelle Buteau's on.

[Stephen Colbert]

And this is what I want to talk about. She. I think this got cut from broadcast after you guys wrapped the interview. And she is just bouncing around with fun.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Yes, ma'am.

[Stephen Colbert]

She jumps up, runs to the rafter. Runs to the rafter. Second floor.

[Tommy Morrissey]

We went to the second floor of the stage. Yeah. There's the second floor that we don't use much anymore.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. What? Why?

[Tommy Morrissey]

I don't know. She was just curious what was up there. I said, why don't you go see? And so that's why we went up there and we said goodnight from up there.

[Stephen Colbert]

It was really nice. But why is that up there? Why was that built? Why is there two floors? Do you remember in the stage design?

[Tommy Morrissey]

Yeah, I do. Well, we have a great designer, a guy named Jim Fenhagen. He also did both sets for the Colbert pour and did the Daily Show a couple times. They stole them from me. I got them first. I know Jim, Jim's dad. He also did like MSNBC sets and he's done Olympics. He did our Chicago sets. He's one of the greatest television set designers out there, is legendary.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And I knew him because his dad, the Reverend James Finhagen, married me and Evie.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, wow.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Down in Charleston. He was one of Evie's dad's oldest friends.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, cool.

[Tommy Morrissey]

It was a dual ceremony. It was Jim Finhagen, Reverend Finhagen and Father Harry and Monsignor Harry Byrne, who was my dad's oldest friend. And so basically Dad's. Dad's. Both of dad's friends, both our dad's oldest friends married us.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Isn't that nice?

[Stephen Colbert]

That's really nice.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Very ecumenical. It was Catholic priest and an Episcopal priest in a Presbyterian church.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, wow. Wow, Cool. And so I know he did furry hat up there.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Yeah, well, that was.

[Bank of America]

Oh.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Anyway, so we did get off My Wedding Stephen and get.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, that was really nice.

[Tommy Morrissey]

It was beautiful. So when he designed the set, the thing about the Ed Sullivan stage is that it's huge.

[Stephen Colbert]

Huge.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And when you have a big space and you're doing television, there's a couple of ways to approach it. One is to choke the space down, basically put up curtains to make the space seem more intimate, lower the ceiling, even have a low lighting grid, and put up sound sales and choke the space in. That's what they did for Letterman's Late Night for his Late Show. And. And it makes a lot of sense. I mean, Carson famously talked about how compression is important for comedy and that some comedians make the stake of playing too big of a space, which is nice for, like, a special or something, but sort of consistently you want a sense of. You want a sense of intimacy for comedy, and that's Johnny, if I'm wrong. You're complaining about Johnny, not about me. And I think he thinks he's right. But I wanted to occupy this space like it was a theater. And so what that meant was, is that we had to. We raised the grid so you could see the whole theater down there. We took out the sound sales, we restored the whole inside of the theater. You should have seen it. Like, when we got in here, it was kind of a wreck.

[Stephen Colbert]

And it's a gorgeous dome, Beautiful, beautiful.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Old Broadway dome with a big old chandelier in the middle of it, a plaster chandelier, which they thought was gone. They literally thought, oh, that was torn down, like in the 50s. No one even knew it was still up there because we had to take away all this sound baff in front of it. And then the problem for a designer is, well, if I've got the entire width of this Broadway stage, what do I do with it?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And so he filled in the sides by saying, what if I had a. Cause there's also an enormous height. And I said, what if I filled in these sides with a second floor? And I can't believe CBS approved all of this. I mean, it was so expensive. They essentially built a house on the stage.

[Stephen Colbert]

Totally.

[Tommy Morrissey]

It's, like, made of steel, Welded steel. Like, two floors on both sides.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's gorgeous.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Oh, it's a beautiful set. He should have wanted something for it.

[Stephen Colbert]

But no, I'm happy that Michelle ran up there, got to show it off a bit more people should. More people in the middle of the interview. Well, this is Michelle Buteau. She runs on up there, but she has a great time.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Buteau, Buto. Like butane.

[Stephen Colbert]

There we go.

[Tommy Morrissey]

My next guest is a comedian and an actor, you know, from Always Be my, maybe Marry Me and babes. She's back in the second season of Survival of the Thickest.

[Bank of America]

Why are the chickens so small?

[Tommy Morrissey]

Signori. That is the size they usually are.

[Bank of America]

Okay, can I just get one? I'm gonna cook it for dinner tonight for my boyfriend. Well, he's not my boyfriend yet, but, you know, we definitely have, like, that thing. It's really giving, like, brown reboot of the Notebook, but, like, without the dementia and the letters, because obviously we have the Internet and such, but. Oh, I don't want to ruin it for you if you haven't seen it, because it's. It's on Broadway now. It's really a good movie, but, you know, it just makes you want to be with the one, you know, because when you know, you know, you know. Capiche? The chicken is done and so am I. Okay. Thought we were just bonding, you know, having a little moment in the flea market.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Please welcome back to the Late Show, Michelle Buteau.

[Bank of America]

You got the moves. Yes.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Honey, last time you were here, you were just about to tape your second special at Radio City. Was that fun?

[Bank of America]

It was amazing. It was so, like, important and wild and delightful. And before I went on the stage, it felt like I was at the top of a roller coaster and I was about to go down, and then the curtain went up. I'm getting emotional, and I felt, like the love on my face, kind of like this audience, actually. No, truly, I felt the energy, and I was just, like, lying the whole time.

[Tommy Morrissey]

You have six year old. Are they twins?

[Bank of America]

They are twins.

[Tommy Morrissey]

You have six year olds who talk about your act. Do they know what you do?

[Bank of America]

I don't know. They're here, though. They're in the green room. Is this my camera? Hi, Hazel. Hi, Otis. Get off your tablets and watch mama live her dreams.

[Tommy Morrissey]

We have a clip here of what is this we're about to see?

[Bank of America]

Good question. Oh, yes, I took him to one of my shows in Niagara Falls. Cause I definitely want them to know what I do, and I Brought them on stage with me and they lost their minds. So let's roll that clip, Jim. Yay.

[Tommy Morrissey]

What are they? What do they. Do they. Do they understand what you do, though?

[Bank of America]

I don't think so. I think they just know that I'm a tired mom that wants them to wash their hands. Like, I don't.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Sure.

[Bank of America]

Yeah, sure.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Do they make you laugh?

[Bank of America]

All the time. I mean, they're sort of like an old married couple. Like, I'll be doing Hazel's hair in the morning and I'm like, what kind of hairstyle do you want? She's like, a braid. And Oz is like, you always do a braid. She's like, no, I don't. And he's like, yeah, you do. And I'm the only child, so it's so nice to watch them just like have a built in best friend and like relationship and fight at all times of the day. What is this?

[Tommy Morrissey]

This is a picture of your family.

[Bank of America]

Oh, my God, they're so cute. You guys. Everything.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Your husband?

[Bank of America]

Yes.

[Tommy Morrissey]

He was Dutch. What's his name?

[Bank of America]

His name was Gijs.

[Tommy Morrissey]

I'm sorry.

[Bank of America]

Yeah.

[Tommy Morrissey]

This tall flower here is Ghayjs.

[Bank of America]

Yes. Hutzo. Gays.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Hutzel.

[Bank of America]

Hutzo means good job. Oh, yeah. So a hard day is husso. Oh, yeah. Don Quebel.

[Tommy Morrissey]

I'm done.

[Bank of America]

You sound like me at Christmas dinner in Holland or Netherlands. I don't know. Pick a name.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Or do you like. Do you like Holland?

[Bank of America]

I do like Holland because I do like a place where the government actually likes their citizens. That's pretty fun. But you know, Europeans, they have it like, really good. I don't think they know how good they have it because every time I meet a Dutch person, they're like, how many languages do you speak? I'm like, I get this. I know what you're trying to do. And so my answer now is, how many black friends do you have? It's probably the same number. I'm just saying.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Touche.

[Bank of America]

Touche. Buble.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Okay. The new season of Survival the Thickest is back. Season 2 creator EP, star of the show. That's nice. Yeah. What's it like? Totally different to come back for a second season. Right. What's it feel now that it's established?

[Bank of America]

It feels so good. I don't want it to end. You know, there's so much it never will.

[Tommy Morrissey]

It never will. That's what I know about TV shows, is that you go on TV and they absolutely never end well.

[Bank of America]

It's all perspective, Right. And so if you're doing this thing that you love for the rest of your life, then it won't end. You know, you have to be comfortable with rejection. You have to always pump yourself up. And I think specificity and being true to who you are and lifting up whoever you want to lift up is how you play the long game and how I can sleep at night. So even if I don't come back for another season, I know I've done everything in my power to make it the show I want to make by uplifting voices. Black, brown, fat, queer voices, trans voices, non binary voices. Because we all matter and we deserve to have our moment. And so it's. It's a teachable moment. It's education through love. It's hilarious, honey. Good luck. You're gonna have so much fun watching it.

[Tommy Morrissey]

You recently finished filming spa weekend in Australia. We got a picture. Look at this fun cast you got.

[Bank of America]

Oh, my God, yes.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Look at Leslie Muffin, Isla Fisher, Anna Faris.

[Bank of America]

Yes.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Scott Moore, John Lucas, the writer, directors, and then you and me. Yeah.

[Bank of America]

We filmed seven weeks in Australia.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Do you like the down unders? Do you like it down there?

[Bank of America]

You know what? I'm good on it. It was nice for what it was, but I didn't know when you go there, you're just like in the safari.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And, oh, yeah, everything there wants you dead.

[Bank of America]

Oh, my good. I had a visitor in my trailer, you guys. Do we have that picture?

[Tommy Morrissey]

I have that picture.

[Bank of America]

Let me tell you something.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Is this. I don't even like photos.

[Bank of America]

I was getting dressed and I asked the wardrobe lady, I said, what's that? Is that a bat? And she said, no, it's just a little spider. I said, that's a little spider. What's a big spider, sis? I was. I did not go back in that trailer. I was like, you better put it up for sale on Truly. I'm not going back to that. That spider was so big, y'all, we had to walk it out with the leash. I said, oh, my God. That spider was so big. It was like everything you own in the box to the left. It was crazy. That spider was so big. You did it. That spider was so big. Like, I'm a Democrat, but that spider was independent. You see what I'm. I'm like, where you come from out of nowhere?

[Tommy Morrissey]

One of the main characters.

[Bank of America]

Yes.

[Tommy Morrissey]

One of the main characters in the show is New York City itself.

[Bank of America]

Yes.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And I'm just as someone who's. You're a New Yorker.

[Bank of America]

Yes.

[Tommy Morrissey]

And we had a woman up here earlier who's in from Chicago. You still there, ma'am. She said she. There you. Hi, boo. She goes, I'm in New York. What should I do? Like, what should I do to enjoy New York?

[Bank of America]

Oh, my goodness. Get yourself a nice little legal edible and go sit on the subway and look at people. What? Amazing.

[Tommy Morrissey]

There you go.

[Bank of America]

You're welcome.

[Tommy Morrissey]

Season two of Survival of the Thickest is available on Netflix. 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.