The Democratic National Convention has already drawn one major guest: Stephen Colbert‘s alter ego “Donny Franks.”
Colbert was spotted on the convention floor this weekend reprising a little-seen character from the beginning of his Late Show run, hot dog vendor Donny Franks, while shooting an upcoming segment for the show.
An undercover Colbert debuted the character in 2016, while filming a remote at Wrigley Field, where Donny Franks sells hot dogs at Chicago Cubs games.
The long-haired, goateed vendor sold franks for “$6.50 a piece, 2 for $15” at the time, and even helpfully topped one off with some whipped cream. (No word yet on whether inflation has forced Franks to up his prices.)
It seems, however, that Franks has switched employers. This time around, the character was seen decked out in Chicago Bulls gear while roaming the United Center—home of the Bulls and, this week, the DNC.
Colbert was photographed interacting with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and DNC chair Jaime Harrison, serving up hot dogs and T-shirts emblazoned with phrases like “Balls to the Walz.” He presented AOC with “hot dog water” and “Kamala is brat” brats.
Colbert will be broadcasting his show from Chicago this week to cover the DNC. He’s set to be joined by a stacked lineup of guests, both political and otherwise. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Pete Buttigieg, Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Chicago native Chance the Rapper are all scheduled to stop by.
It’s fitting for Colbert to dip back into his arsenal of characters while in Chicago. “Chicago’s where I cut my comedy teeth performing at The Second City,” he said on The Late Show when announcing his DNC week.
