Like every other late-night talk show, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has temporarily suspended production amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. But rather than take a few weeks off, the CBS host has opted instead to continue broadcasting—now from his home bathtub.
Monday night’s Late Show, which was supposed to be a repeat given that production had paused, instead kicked off with a surprise new monologue from Colbert, dressed in his usual on-air suit, broadcasting from a bathtub filled with bubbles.
“Welcome to my bathroom. You’re watching a very special social distancing edition of the Late Show,” he told viewers.
“My first guest tonight, as you can see, is Mr. Bubble, followed by a musical performance by the legendary duo, Head & Shoulders,” Colbert continued, grabbing a nearby shampoo bottle.
The host said that “every member of my staff is home,” adding, “if you’re watching this from home right now, know that you’re doing the right thing.”
His 10-minute monologue included jokes about social distancing (“I’ve been avoiding human contact since before it was cool”), efforts to “flatten the curve” (“based on my current level of inactivity and stress-baking, I definitely will not be flattening my curves,” he said, showing off a pear and almond cream tart he made the previous night) and President Trump’s new prediction of how long the crisis will last (“July, or maybe August …that sounds bad. But keep in mind, he did not specify which year”).
As Colbert concluded his monologue, he noted, “At this time of national peril, we all have to do our part. And by ‘do,’ I mean, ‘don’t.’ We all have to ‘don’t’ our part. And there is no country in the world more prepared for that, than the U.S.A.”