You can add Stephen Colbert to the list of late-night TV personalties who are mentioned in the voluminous and notorious Epstein files.
On the heels of The Daily Show host Jon Stewart chronicling his own appearance in the headlines-hogging, oft-redacted documents—and LateNighter’s report on Saturday Night Live meriting multiple mentions—Colbert on Wednesday night’s The Late Show sheepishly acknowledged that his previous late night foray received a ringing endorsement from an Epstein associate.
In an email chain asking the American financier (and ultimately convicted child sex offender) to donate to a congressional candidate, a redacted sender recommended to Epstein’s longtime executive assistant that her boss get schooled on Super PACs by watching a clip from Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.
“No one explains it better than Stephen Colbert,” the sender wrote. “It’s really funny—think Jeffrey will enjoy watching!”
As the Late Show audience reacted to the reveal, a chagrined Colbert offered, “Well, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
“Just look at our new Times Square billboard,” he continued, teeing up a mocked-up visual that read: “The Late Show: It’s really funny — think Jeffrey will enjoy watching!'”
Watch the segment above.
As noted above, Colbert’s peer Jon Stewart, whose Daily Show spun off The Colbert Report, also appears in the Epstein files (“We all searched our names, right…?” he said earlier this week). The context: Epstein had suggested to film producer Barry Josephson that Woody Allen shoot a new stand-up special with a biographical component. Josephson in turn pitched, “Somebody like Jon Stewart could host/narrate the biographical part.’”
“Excuse me…? I am offended. ‘Somebody like Jon Stewart,’ or Jon Stewart?” the Daily Show host reacted with exaggerated outrage. “My point is, do I have the offer or is this an audition?”
