Billy Bush says part of the reason he penned a blistering op-ed calling out President Trump had to do with his many accusers, and what Billy perceived as the Prez belittling their claims. TONIGHT: After his op-ed in the @NYTimes, Billy Bush stops…
Showing posts with label Colbert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colbert. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Friday, November 17, 2017
Stephen Colbert Grills Ben Affleck on Sexual Harassment Allegations
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandals, numerous Hollywood power players have been taken to task for their deplorable behavior toward women, minors, and others in vulnerable positions.
Some were complicit in Weintstein’s behavior, while others engaged in abuse and harassment of their own that was brought to light thanks to the example set by the disgraced mogul’s courageous accusers.
Ben Affleck falls into both categories.
Along with his childhood friend Matt Damon, Affleck rose to prominence with his performance in Goodwill Hunting, a film he also co-wrote with Damon, earning them a pair of Best Original Screenplay Oscars.
Like so many other films produced conglomerate-owned “indie” studios in the early ’90s, Hunting was ushered into existence by Harney Weinstein.
So like Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and many others, Affleck and Damon were faced with some difficult questions following the revelations of Weinstein’s rampant abuse.
Primarily, the public wanted to know if these men were aware of Weinstein’s behavior and if they took any steps to prevent it.
Before he even had a chance to issue response, however, Affleck was accused of groping an MTV host and behaving inappropriately with a Canadian entertainment journalist.
The father of three laid low for a few weeks after that, and it’s been widely rumored that Affleck checked back into rehab recently.
Of course, Affleck long ago made the leap from indie darling to superhero franchise anchor, which means that when promotional obligations arise, he doesn’t have the option of keeping a low profile, even when he’s riding out a scandal.
As such, Affleck stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night for an interview with a host whose been outspoken in his disgust with the recent round of appalling reports coming out of Hollywood.
“I don’t remember it, but I absolutely apologized for it,” Affleck responded in response to Colbert’s question about allegations that he groped Hilarie Burton back in 2003.
“I certainly don’t think she’s lying or making it up,” he added.
“It’s just the kind of thing that we have to as men, I think, as we become more aware of this, be really, really mindful of our behavior and hold ourselves accountable and say, ‘If I was ever part of the problem, I want to change. I want to be part of the solution,’ and to not shy away from these uncomfortable or awkward or strange encounters that we might’ve had where we were sort of navigating and not knowing.”
It’s a bit odd that Affleck suggested there might be any doubt as to whether or not the incident took place, considering it was caught on camera, but … at least he’s trying?
Asked about his ties to Weinstein, Affleck had this to say:
“It was awful to see the extent of these terrible crimes and it was hideous. I haven’t worked for Harvey in more than 15 years, but nonetheless, I felt this attachment.
“I did movies like Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare in Love and Chasing Amy – early movies that I really loved doing, when I still was totally brand new.
“And so it sort of rained that a little bit to realize while we were having these experiences and making these movies, there were people who ere suffering and dealing with awful experiences. I didn’t really know what to do with that, you know? It’s hard to know.”
Again, it would have been better if Ben didn’t feel the need to preface his remarks with a lame attempt at self-absolution (“Sure Harvey basically kicked off my career, but we haven’t worked together … since I was in my thirties!”) but at least he’s taking part in this crucial conversation.
The fact is, that in the weeks to follow more stars and power players, some of whom may be deeply beloved by large segments of the population, will be implicated in acts of sexual misconduct of varying severity.
For some, there can be no redemption.
For others may find themselves in positions where forgiveness might be possible, but it certainly won’t come easy.
Ben’s right when he says men in all industries and of all orientations must be more mindful of his behavior.
We just wish his comments didn’t come on the heels of a whole lot of back-pedaling and justification.
Ben Affleck Looked Flustered After Getting Grilled by Stephen Colbert
This is the face Ben Affleck had after getting GRILLED by Stephen Colbert. Ben was leaving the ‘Late Show’ studio Thursday night where he was promoting his new flick, “Justice League.” Everything seemed fine and dandy … until Colbert…
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Stephen Colbert -- Good Genes or Good Docs?
Stephen Colbert’s good looks are no joke! Here’s a 38-year-old version of the late-night host back in 2002 (left) and 15 years later … the award-winning comedian and Primetime Emmys host at a play in NYC earlier this year (right). Award…
Friday, May 26, 2017
Les Moonves Says FCC Was Right to Clear Colbert Over Trump Joke (VIDEO)
CBS honcho Les Moonves is predictably down with the FCC’s decision to back off Stephen Colbert over his blow job Trump joke. We got Les leaving Craig’s in WeHo Thursday night and he was standing behind his man … not surprising because Colbert has…
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Stephen Colbert Says Trump Shouldn"t Hurry Back from Saudi Arabia (VIDEO)
Stephen Colbert looked super relaxed Saturday in NYC, apparently relieved the Commander in Chief is otherwise occupied. The talk show king clearly thinks Donald Trump shouldn’t rush things along in the Middle East … favoring an extended trip for…
Stephen Colbert Says Trump Shouldn"t Hurry Back from Saudi Arabia (VIDEO)
Stephen Colbert looked super relaxed Saturday in NYC, apparently relieved the Commander in Chief is otherwise occupied. The talk show king clearly thinks Donald Trump shouldn’t rush things along in the Middle East … favoring an extended trip for…
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Stephen Colbert Blasts Donald Trump for Leaking Intel, Begs Him to Resign (VIDEOS)
Stephen Colbert flat-out called for President Trump’s resignation … the prez admittedly shared classified intel about ISIS with Russian diplomats. Colbert obliterated Trump during his Monday night monologue after the Washington Post reported…
Stephen Colbert Blasts Donald Trump for Leaking Intel, Begs Him to Resign (VIDEOS)
Stephen Colbert flat-out called for President Trump’s resignation … the prez admittedly shared classified intel about ISIS with Russian diplomats. Colbert obliterated Trump during his Monday night monologue after the Washington Post reported…
Friday, May 12, 2017
Stephen Colbert to Donald Trump: I Won!!!!
Stephen Colbert has a love-hate relationship with Donald Trump.
He loves the ratings bump the President has provided him with – but he really, strongly, passionately hates every single thing that the Commander-in-Chief stands for.
The Late Show has flown past The Tonight Show in terms of overall viewers over the past several weeks, an impressive feat that has coincided with Colbert simply laying into Trump on a nightly basis.
This roasting was most prominent in early May when Colbert used VERY vulgar language to describe Trump"s relationship with Vladimir Putin.
About a week later, Trump fired back by saying he"s solely responsible for Colbert even having a job.
"There’s nothing funny about what he says," Trump told Time magazine yesterday of Colbert, adding:
"What he says is filthy. And you have kids watching. And it only builds up my base. It only helps me, people like him…
"They were going to take him off television, then he started attacking me and he started doing better. But his show was dying.
"I’ve done his show. … But when I did his show, which by the way was very highly rated. It was high highest rating. The highest rating he’s ever had."
In response to Trump"s latest rambling, Colbert strutted on to his monologue stage last night and admitted that Trump as President has been terrific for his ratings.
"It’s almost as if the majority of Americans didn’t want you to be president," Colbert explained.
"But you know who’s got really bad ratings these days? You do. Terrible approval numbers. I hear they’re thinking about switching your time slot with Mike Pence."
And if Trump really wants to see Colbert go away, if he really wants to see The Late Show"s ratings drop far down, the comedian had a word of advice for the President.
"Since all of my success is clearly based on talking about you, if you really want to take me down, there’s an obvious way: resign.
"Sir, if you did that, what would I talk about then? Except your resignation, because that’d be fun."
HA! Watch Colbert lay into Trump once again now:
Stephen Colbert to President Trump, Ratings Are the LAST Thing You Should Bring Up (VIDEO)
Stephen Colbert is declaring victory in his feud with Donald Trump, saying it’s pretty rich of the prez to bring up ratings … when his approval numbers are in the toilet. Colbert was more than happy to respond to Trump calling him a “no-talent…
T.I. Says President Trump Is a Hypocrite For Colbert Clapback (VIDEO)
President Donald Trump has some nerve calling Stephen Colbert a “no-talent guy” with a “filthy” mouth … according to T.I. who says the prez has traded the White House for a glass one. Tip had landed at LAX when he weighed in on…
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Donald Trump Slams Stephen Colbert: I Saved His Career!
When Stephen Colbert began hosting his own show back in 2005, he was playing a character.
The “Stephen Colbert” of The Colbert Report was a puffed-up, right-wing, bile-spewing egomaniac who embodied everything loathsome about American politics.
When Colbert left both the show and the character behind to fill David Letterman’s CBS time slot back in 2014, fans worried that no one else would be able to so deftly highlight the absurdity of political extremism in 21st Century America.
Little did we know the 2016 election held in store.
These days, your daily dose of “what in the actual f–k?!” is brought to you by the president himself, Cheeto Face McTeensyHands.
It feels like if you tune out even momentarily you miss another jaw-dropping example of Donald Trump proving he’s woefully unqualified not only for the presidency, but for any position that requires regular participation in polite society.
This week’s lowlight was Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, a move so blatantly corrupt that even the Richard Nixon Presidential Library has been getting its shots in.
But of all the people taking shots at Trump, it seems it’s Colbert who’s most effectively gotten under the president’s Day-Glo skin.
Back on May 4, Colbert joked about the very friendly relationship between Trump and Vladimir Putin, and it seems Trump has spent the past week crafting his response.
As usual, he choose “unhinged ravings of a lunatic” as his medium:
“There’s nothing funny about what he says,” Trump told Time magazine today.
“And what he says is filthy. And you have kids watching. And it only builds up my base. It only helps me, people like him. The guy was dying.”
That’s around the time when a remotely sane person would stop talking, but this id the President of the United States we’re talking about!
“By the way they were going to take him off television, then he started attacking me and he started doing better. But his show was dying,” Trump went on.
“I’ve done his show. … But when I did his show, which by the way was very highly rated. It was high highest rating. The highest rating he’s ever had.”
Yes, apparently Donald Trump has delicate the sensibilities of a Southern belle and he just faints dead away at the utterance of the mildest profanity.
So next time Melania wants him to shut the hell up, she just play a tape of Donald’s conversation with Billy Bush.
Donald Trump Calls Stephen Colbert "No-Talent" Hack with "Filthy" Mouth
President Donald Trump finally clapped back … tearing Stephen Colbert a new one after the comedian’s controversial takedown of the prez. Trump says Colbert is a “no-talent guy” who has “nothing funny” to say and what he DOES say…
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Stephen Colbert Ignores "Homophobic" Criticism, Slams Trump and Putin Again (VIDEO)
Stephen Colbert launched back into his verbal assault of President Trump … the day after he caught some heat for calling Trump “Vladimir Putin’s c**k holster.” Colbert didn’t address any of the backlash against, or support for, his…
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
TMZ Live: Stephen Colbert: Homophobic Trump Joke?
ON TODAY’S SHOW Brutal Airline Fist Fight Bachelor Star: Alcohol Bombshell Justin Bieber’s New Girl! Mariah & Nick Take Over Disney!
Stephen Colbert Goes Homophobic On Donald Trump (VIDEO)
Stephen Colbert unleashed a torrent of anti-Trump jokes on his show Monday night, ending with a cock-in-Trump’s-mouth jab that made his audience roar. The 12-minute tirade was dedicated to the 100-day mark in Trump’s presidency, and Colbert went…
Monday, April 3, 2017
David Letterman Gives Stephen Colbert Props, "It Would Kill Me" to Do That Show Now (VIDEO)
David Letterman’s never looked so happy to NOT be hosting the ‘Late Show,’ and told us … more power to Stephen Colbert for killing it in the ratings. We got Dave and his massive beard out in NYC Monday — he joked it’s the first time he’s been…
Friday, March 17, 2017
Les Moonves -- Colbert Would Win Even if Trump Didn"t (VIDEO)
CBS honcho Les Moonves undeniably has the Midas touch when it comes to picking shows and talent, but he swears he did NOT have a premonition Donald Trump would become prez when he tapped Stephen Colbert to replace David Letterman. Colbert has been…
Friday, March 10, 2017
Jimmy Fallon vs. Stephen Colbert: Unexpected Feud Alert!
With his affable, Guy Smiley-esque demeanor and fondness for silly party games, it’s hard to imagine Jimmy Fallon as a cutthroat competitor, but one doesn’t climb the ladder of late night success without an abundance of ambition.
Of course, the same could be said of Fallon’s top rival, Stephen Colbert, who made a name for himself satirizing right wing blowhards, but is now letting his nice-guy charm shine on CBS’ Late Show.
Given the genial natures of the late nights current kings and Fallon’s consistent dominance in the ratings, no one expected that Coblert’s transition to a major network would result in a Letterman vs. Leno-like battle for supremacy, but it seems that’s exactly what’s happening thanks to Colbert’s latest ratings boost.
Yes, the “Colbert bump” that Stephen used to joke about on his Comedy Central show has happened in reverse, as the election of Donald Trump appears to have turned viewrrs away from Fallon’s apolitical capering straight toward Colbert’s more topical monologues.
Colbert is no firebrand, and that seems to be working to his advantage, as there’s no shortage of politically-charged outrage these days.
What the 52-year-old offers is a sort of throwback alternative – reasoned takedowns of Trump and company at a time when the outrages of the administration seem to have caused some comics to sacrifice wit in favor of blunt force.
By contrast, Fallon has chosen to stick to the pop cultural observations and and celebrity brown-nosing that have long made him the safe choice in late night.
The host is still smarting from the now-infamous Trump hair tousling interview that many believe helped humanize the candidate at a critical stage in the election cycle, and some feel Fallon’s reluctance to riff on Trump signals a sort of tacit endorsement.
Now, it seems that Fallon’s decision to stick to innocuous escapism may be costing him dearly, as The Late Show has now edged out The Tonight Show in total viewership for five weeks running.
“[Fallon] is feeling the pressure. I mean, Stephen Colbert is now beating him in a big way and he has to change his format to keep up because he’s losing viewers,” a source tells Page Six.
“They had to figure out a way to get Trump [into his routine] because he’s too weak on Trump, and viewers are going elsewhere. [He’s been] uncomfortable talking about politics, and that’s not what the people want.”
Colbert’s audience has grown an astonishing 29 percent from this time last year, and his sudden rise in popularity seems to have everything to do with his willingness to embrace the political madness of 2017.
It’s worth noting that Fallon still has the upper-hand in the all-important 18-49 demographic, but insiders say the ultra-competitive SNL alum is still fretting his current ratings slump.
“He freaks out over this. He has to be on top,” says one source.
Now it seems that in order to reclaim his crown, Fallon may have to venture into territory that seems to make him uncomfortable.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)