The biggest surprise about Stephen Colbert returning to Only in Monroe, the Michigan public-access program that unofficially launched his Late Show tenure in 2015? It may be that hosts Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson managed to keep it quiet.
“Kaye Lani and I are probably two of the worst secret keepers you’ll ever meet,” Baumann told LateNighter. But the two signed nondisclosure agreements, and they honored them.
“For months, we basically walked around carrying the world’s most exciting secret and pretending everything was normal,” she said.
Colbert’s return to Monroe made an even bigger splash than his first visit, with his first post-Late Show project racking up millions of views on—and off—his newly launched @Colbert YouTube channel.
“It was a little surreal seeing it pop up in places we’d never even heard of before,” Wilson said.
Colbert’s producers kept a few secrets of their own, declining to tell Baumann and Wilson exactly what curveballs might be coming during the taping.
“We thought we might simply do a toast to the show since we had commemorative wine glasses made for the occasion,” Baumann said.
Toasts were indeed on the agenda, but Colbert raised the stakes from the duo’s 2015 wine-sharing visit. This time, the trio downed oversized vodka shots courtesy of Monroe’s own River Raisin Distillery.
“We couldn’t stop laughing,” Baumann said.
The silliness escalated when Colbert enlisted Monroe Community Media creative director Genevieve Benson to deliver helium balloons to the set. The three inhaled the gas, sending their voices into cartoon territory.
“Kaye Lani and I were absolutely losing it laughing at the ridiculous helium voices,” Baumann said. “It was one of those moments that was genuinely funny while it was happening, and it’s been just as funny watching friends, family, and the public enjoy it afterward.”
Another surprise came when Colbert and guests Jeff Daniels and Jack White destroyed the old Only in Monroe backdrop with sledgehammers and crowbars. Baumann and Wilson weren’t exactly heartbroken to see the set meet its fiery end in a parking lot dumpster.
“Honestly, it was time,” Wilson said. “That set had served us well for many, many years. Seeing it go out in such an over-the-top fashion was actually perfect for Only in Monroe.”
Baumann and Wilson remained diplomatic on one of the episode’s central local controversies: whether Monroe’s Original or Vince’s serves the better chili dog.
“If you want the answer to which one is better, you’re going to have to visit Monroe and conduct your own research,” Baumann said.
During the show, Colbert jokingly suggested that Baumann and Wilson could guest co-host his CBS replacement, Comics Unleashed. Maybe the idea isn’t so far-fetched.
“We’d both have an absolute blast doing something like that,” Baumann said. “Kaye Lani is far funnier than most people realize. If Byron Allen ever needs guest hosts, we’re available. Just saying.”
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