plus, stephen welcomes leslie mann brandon micheal hall and musical guest, lil wayne featuring jon batiste and stay human. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: wooo! hey! how are you? ( cheers and applause ) please, have a seat, everybody. welcome to "the late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. there has been, just today, another big decision in the landmark case of "donald trump v. gettin' caught," because this morning in new york city? here in new york city, former trump lawyer michael cohen was sentenced to three years in prison. now-- ( applause ) justice? justice? >> jon: yup? >> stephen: now, a little tip for mr. cohen: in first day in prison, walk up to the biggest guy in the yard and pay him $130,000. boom! boom! ( cheers and applause ) before cohen climbed up on the prison bus, he made sure to throw trump under it, telling the court, "recently the president tweeted a statement calling me 'weak,' and it was correct, but for a much different reason than he was implying. it was because time

plus, stephen welcomes jon stewart, and a special performance by jon batiste and stay human. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert. ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: hey! ladies and gentlemen, so glad you're here. welcome to "the late show." of the i'm your host, stephen colbert. ( cheers and applause ) i feel the same way. i feel the same way. i'm in a good mood. happy friday and merry christmas to everybody. the president-- ( cheers and applause ) wooo! coming to the end of the year, and we have earned it. the president reportedly "will spend 16 days at mar-a-lago during the holidays." this is fun. coincidentally, richard nixon went to mar-a-lago a month before he resigned the presidency. ( cheers and applause ) oh, please. oh, history, oh, history, please repeat yourself. we didau )no he'll have a new chief of staff: budget director and chef from the pizza box, mick mulvaney. mulvaney's predecessor, general john kelly, tried to rein in trump, but according to politico, mulvaney doesn't plan to try. "i am honored to be t

give it up for jon batiste and stay human. right over there!d applause ) jon, you know, i-- you know who our guest is tonight right over there. >> jon: steve carell. >> stephen: my old buddy steve carell will be right there. just looking at the photos. it's amazing. i've been in show business for a few years. i've got few-- there are very few people in my life that i have known this long that i am this proud of of. he has turned into truly a world-class artist. >> jon: wow. he's amazing. he can can do everything. well, trump's border wall seems less and less likely to happen. but that hasn't stopped his supporters from doubling down, like fox news host and guy trying to figure out why his pet cocoon turned into a butterfly ( laughter ) tucker carlson. carlson's already got a reputation for flirting with racism, but last week, he took it to a racy new level. >> we have a moral obligation to admit the world's poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poorer and dirtier and more divided. >> stephen: now, if just listening to him say tha

street to be honest lots of call for a drama actually exactly same here on this side of the atlantic batiste apple and i knew you were going to mention facebook so what were the most important stories for investors would you say. well in general i think it was the year off the fang a company is not being investors pavers anymore to the word to best describe the year on wall street would probably be volatility and let's see it other than that we had a solidly growing economy positive effect of techs a healthy labor market lowest inflation and effect that felt so confident about the u.s. economy that they did not raise rates three times but four times then again investors are worried about how the trade relationship between the u.s. and china are going to turn out and lastly the u.s. is going to end this year with a huge amount of debt one point four trillion dollars more than a year ago and these problems are definitely going to linger in twenty nineteen bed there is a lot to worry about thank you very much so if you're at the new york stock exchange . it's been a troubling ear. training wrap

reilly and senator jeff flake, featuring jon batiste and "stay human." now live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) ( theme song playing ) >> stephen: how are you? thank you! smooth! welcome one and all in here, out there, all around the world. welcome to "the late show." i'm your host stephen colbert. ( cheers and applause ) for now. ( laughter ) who knows next week because there's nothing certain about anything anymore. yesterday, i was confident that america would still have a government. but i underestimated what a wedge we have in the white house. i say wedge because he's the simplest of tools. ( laughter ) ( applause ) thank you. here's the situation -- based on signals from the white house, last night, mitch mcconnell passed a short-term spending bill that would keep the government open till february. 100 to nothing. now, it didn't include the $5 billion that trump wanted for his border wall, but everybody-- en mcc wng it,ldox r ways that we can get to that $5 billion." that's puttin

featuring jon batiste and "stay human." and now live open tape from -- on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) ( theme song playing ) >> stephen: whoo! hello! ( cheers and applause ) please, sit down, everybody! thank you very much! thank you so much, ladies and gentlemen! oh! ladies and gentlemen! welcome! welcome one and all to "the late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. ( piano riff ) ( cheers and applause ) i want to wish a happy chanukah to my jewish viewers. ( cheers and applause ) >> jon: yeah, jacob hurst. >> stephen: but only them. okay? ( laughter ) it's an honor system. if you're not jewish, no chanukah wishes for you! let them have this! ( laughter ) this is a solemn week in america, because of the passing of president george h.w. bush, the last president from the greatest generation. bush served in world war ii as a torpedo bomber pilot in the pacific theater. flew 58 missions. when his plane git byd to bail s actual footage of a young george h.w

announcer: it's "the late show" with stephen colber welcoa bullock and barry jenkins, featuring jon batiste and "stay human." and now live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) ( theme song playing ) >> stephen: thanks, everybody! welcome to "the late show." ladies and gentlemen, i'm your host stephen colbert. ( cheers and applause ) we're learning more about the russia investigation. the walls are clearly closing in on trump. and after all those cheeseburgers, the walls don't have very far to go. ( laughter ) "the washington post" got their hands on a leaked copy of a report commissioned by the senate intelligence committee, and there's some damning stuff in there. for instance, to help trump in the election, the committee found that russia used every major social media platform. yes, vladimir putin even created his own bitmoji. ( laughter ) "let's collude, american dude!" at this point, trump faces 17 investigations, "a legal assault unlike anything previously seen by any president." quite a distinction for trump. (as trump) "

featuring jon batiste and stay human. ed sullivan eater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: wooo! >> stephen: hey! please have a seat, everybody. thank you so much. welcome to "the late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. it is friday! you can take that to the bank, my friend. not only is it friday, it is two fridays right before christmas. it is right around the corner. but, sadly, jon, some people aren't having a holly, jolly christmas: the white house press corps. because donald trump has canceled the white house christmas party for the press. ( audience booing ) exactly! you cancelled christmas? you're the guy who campaigned on this: >> if i become president, we're all going to be saying, "merry christmas" again. >> stephen (as trump): "just not to you, jim acosta. ( laughter ) no, you get a 'merry suck it.'" the christmas party is a tradition that has gone back for decades at the white house, and the press really looks forward to it. the fox news people really loved kissing trump's ass under the mistletoe. now, in the past, visitor

featuring jon batiste and stay human. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: wooo! hello! how are you? hey! that's nice. hi, mark. hay, everybody. hey, everybody, please. have a seat. thank you so much. you're too kind. welcome, one and all, ladies and gentlemen to "the late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. i am beginning-- ( cheers and applause ) i am beginning to think donald trump destroys everyone he touches. he is like the king midas of crap. the latest trump aide to hit the fan is former national security advisor and dad from a twisted sister video, michael flynn. ( laughter ) flynn was in federal court today to be sentenced for lying to the f.b.i. and trump was on the sidelines, cheering him on: (as trump): "good luck today in court to general michael flynn. will be interesting to see what he has to say, despite tremendous pressure being put upon him about russian collusion in our great and, obviously, highly successful po

plus, stephen welcomes jeff daniels and emily mortimer featuring jon batiste and stay human. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: come on! wooo! here we go! hello! hi, everybody! yeah! nice. beautiful, beautiful! welcome. please have a seat. thanks so much for being here. welcome to "the late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. ( cheers and applause ) thanks very much. today, of course, was the official state funeral for president george h.w. bush, so it was a quiet day in america. there was no mail delivery, federal offices were shuttered, wall street was closed. although, that was because after yesterday's 800-point plunge, they were all buying clean underwear. ( laughter ) it was a full state funeral. it was quite a moving sight to see the presidents and the first ladies in the front row, waiting to honor president bush, chatting comfortably with one another. until trump showed up, and then it became silent-staring time. donald trump is the only person in the world who can bring do

jon batiste and "stay human"! give it up for the band right there! come on! ) >> jon: yeah! >> stephen: you know how we talk about sometimes -- we do this show and talk about what's going on in the news every day and in the country, you can feel down sometimes. we're here for laughs and you feel down. but then sometimes news comes along and you say, i feel good about who i share this country with. i have one of those now. the holiday season is here, and i hope you have a good one, whether you celebrate christmas, hanukkah, kwanzaa, the solstice, or national mathematics day in india. december 22, look it up. whatever holiday you celebrate, we all share one thing in common: the fact that you should purchase a copy of "whose boat is this boat - comments that don't help in the aftermath of a hurricane. by donald j. trump, by accident." ( piano riff ) here's the thing -- you guys know that 100% of "the late show" profits go to help the victims of hurricanes florence and michael. now, we were hoping to raise a fair amount of money. who knows how much? >> jon: right

featuring jon batiste and "stay human."e on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) ( theme song playing ) >> stephen: whoo! beautiful! thanks up there! down there, all around the world! ladies and gentlemen, welcome to "the late show." i'm your host stephen colbert. ( cheers and applause ) ( piano riff ) it really feels like were at a turning point in the trump presidency. not the point where he's turning himself in, but still. ( laughter ) you can feel a change in the air right now. there's all kinds of new, damning, stuff-- i mean stuff you say in court kind of stuff-- coming out about trump. starting with former trump lawyer michael cohen, a.k.a. "vincent van going to jail." ( laughter ) yesterday, cohen pleaded guilty to paying off porn star stormy daniels and "playboy" playmate karen macdougal to influence the election. that is a felony. hence the whole jail thing. ( cheers and applause ) >> an easy game to play. we have a man sitting in the white house who is

plus, stephen welcomes kathy griffin and comedian emma willmann featuring jon batiste and stay human. now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: hello! ( cheers ) >> stephen: hey, everybody! lovely. hey, jon! woooo! woooo! ( cheers ) woooo! welcome, everybody. thank you so much. oh, my goodness. >> stephen: welcome to "the late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. it's friday! heeeeeyyy!!! get in here! it's been a hard week for president trump. a lot of bad news. he learned some more stuff about how his buddies michael cohen and mike flynn are working with mueller. and now he might lose his last remaining mike: pence. ( laughter ) because, earlier this week, trump hosted a 2020 strategy meeting with his advisers. among the topics discussed: whether mike pence should remain on the ticket. this is a major failure. if he gets dropped, that will be a major failure of mike pence's time-tested political strategy: "be so boring people forget you exist." he is a manila envelope taped to a beige wall. the campaig

plus, stephen welcomes whoopi goldberg adam pally and musical guest jungle featuring jon batiste and stay human. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: hey! yeah! welcome! welcome, one and all, to "the late show." thank you so much for being here. i'm your host, stephen colbert. since-- since donald trump was elected president, i've reminded myself to never stop being shocked. but it's hard, you know. it's like my brain has developed a thick callous, like a ballerina's toes. ( laughter ) it's all just like bones and leghtdry skin up there now. but today, i have to say, i am shocked anew, because trump met with incoming speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, and senate minority leader, chuck schumer, in the most serious room in america, the oval office. and their meeting looked like this: >> stephen: i'm sorry. i don't know how that happened. that was some mix-up in the control room there. that was-- that was cats boxing, i think. ( laughter ) but i'll say this: that was one st

and musical guest common featuring jon batiste and stay human. now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: hey! perfect! perfect! come on! come on! that was right over the plate! thank you, everybody! hey! thank you, everybody. welcome to "the late show, i'm your host, stephen colbert. we have a great show for you tonight. jon, we have former first lady michelle obama out here tonight, and i am super excited. the book "becoming," i've read it. it's a beautiful book. i can't wait to talk about that. but until we get there, in the meantime, folks, the mueller investigation is closing in. and-- ( cheers and applause ) donald trump has flown to argentina. you know, the country all the good guys flee to. he's there for the big g20 summit. today, he signed a revised nafta agreement, and he was jazzed. >> we're gathered together this afternoon for a very historic occasion, the signing ceremony for a brand new de >> stephen: yes, this afternoon. just one problem. it was 9:24 a

featuring jon batiste and stay human. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) ( band playing ) >> stephen: welcome to the show, everybody! hey! ( cheers and applause ) please have a seat, everybody. welcome, one and all, to "the late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. last night was a monumental election that fundamentally shifts the balance of power in washington, d.c. for years to come, and it is not the top story. because this morning, trump fired his attorney general, jeff sessions, seen here on his happiest day at the job. ( cheers and applause ) "my god, what have i become?" ( laughter ) and after trump had done it, but before we knew he done did it, one our guests tonight, major garret, from cbs, asked donald trump this: >> can you give us clarity, sir, on your thinking currently, now, after the midterms, about your attorney general and your deputy attorney general? do they have long-term job security? >> i'd rather answer that at... a l

plus, stephen welcomes julia roberts and patrick wilson featuring jon batiste and stay human. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: come on! wooo! hello! ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: beautiful, beautiful. warm-- i can warm my hands by the glow of this audience tonight. unbelievable. you all are incandescent. >> stephen: welcome to "the late show," ladies and gentlemen. i am stephen colbert. you know how trump keeps saying he's going to make america great again? turns out "great" might be short for "great depression," because today the dow dropped 799 points. at least it wasn't 800. whew. ( laughter ) pha-pha-shew! here's the thing: it might have been trump's fault, because it was. on sunday, he announced, he tweeted out he had this great new trade deal with china, tweeting: "china has agreed to reduce and remove tariffs on cars coming into china from the u.s. currently, the tariff is 40%." great news. that's great news, okay. because soon, drivers in china could be riding around in

featuring jon batiste and stay human. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) ( band playing ) >> stephen: woo! how are you doing? how are you? hey, everybody! ( band playing ) ( cheers and applause ) oh, oh, oh, yeah! i feel good! please have a seat, everybody! thank you so much! welcome to "the late show" one and all; i'm your host, stephen colbert. and uh... i read the news today, oh, boy. because robert mueller is getting closer and closer to his prey. it's a true game of cat and large, slow-moving man. ( laughter ) today, the star of the show was former trump lawyer and man who looks like how we all feel-- ( laughter ) >> jon: that boy lookin' rough. >> stephen: michael cohen. this morning, cohen pleaded guilty to lying to congress. that's a serious offense. he could end up going to jail, or to the supreme court-- either way. ( laughter ) ( piano riff ) did you see-- can we put up that picture? working for donald trump has taken its toll on mi

during the talks we specifically mentioned that russia and turkey with the batiste patient of iranian colleagues did everything promised to create a syrian constitutional committee this is being done by all states as mediators between the syrian government and opposition and we hope that those including our western partners he called us down a group to finish his work as soon as possible would not interfere in his continued work oh no there was a feeling that both sides both russia and turkey are right. they're optimistic on how things develop on the ground and they have expressed their hatred and believe that the new year will bring more positive changes to syria and maybe a long awaited peace will finally return to this war torn country meanwhile turkish armored vehicles have reportedly been seen entering the northern city of. turkey has been boosting its military presence on both sides of its border with syria since donald trump announced of the troop withdraw all drop is around forty kilometers from the city of money beach where the syrian army says it is now in control they were

featuring jon batiste and stay human. and now, live on tape from the ed sullivan theater in new york, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) ( band playing ) >> stephen: woo! hello! hey! ( cheers and applause ) ( band playing ) c'mon! hey, please have a seat, everybody! thank you so much! please sit down. welcome ladies and gentlemen to "the late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. ( cheers and applause ) i got to tell you, we were talking about this before. we feel the same way. it is so great to be back. i have missed all of you, in here, out there, because last week i had to watch the news by myself. ( laughter ) i mean, crazy things happened-- or i think they happened. i had this one weird dream where i could've sworn kanye west went to the oval office.... ( laughter ) and started talking about repealing the 13th amendment. did that really happen? >> jon: yeah, yeah, that happened. >> stephen: that happened? >> jon: that happened. >> stephen: that happened? i thought maybe i was drinking absinthe all week. w

. >>> that's late show bandleader jon batiste playing a chamber piece by philip glass that the month'se of the five honorees celebrating their contributions to the arts. while philip glass has secured his place as a legendary force in the music word, success was not quick in coming and acceptance by the establishment was any of sog he sought. i spoke with him here at the theater where he worked and performed early this career. one of the most influential composers in the world, philip glass has produced 27 operas. 11 symphonies, and scored more than 50 films. does music just come to you all the time? >> sure. >> what's that like? >> gets you, doesn't it? >> the very busy philip glass. [ applause ] >> but for much of his pioneering career, awards eluded him. >> here you are now getting kennedy center honor. a guy who couldn't get a grant at one point. >> so how do that happen? >> how did that happen? >> you tell me. >> in a way, philip glass first made his mark on popular culture as the subject of chuck's striking 1969 portrait titled simply phil. but his influence in music starts much