Stephen Colbert's debate with Karine Jean-Pierre reminds me of why I stopped watching 'The Late Show'
Yes, former President Joe Biden lost one debate against Donald Trump, who was then destroyed in a debate with former VP Kamala Harris
“The Daily Show” with Trevor Noah helped my mental health during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and the first Donald Trump presidency. Yes, “The Late Show” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” were on, but there was something special about seeing a late-night Black comedic host give his take on politics. Because he is South African, he could also give U.S. citizens a wider viewpoint by comparing Trump with other world leaders we may not have been as familiar with.
However, when I heard Stephen Colbert tell Jimmy Kimmel that Jon Stewart was “the king of late night,” I ran to my smartphone to see if Arsenio Hall passed away. 2025 has been terrible with celebrity death news: Angie Stone, D’Angelo, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Danielle Spencer and many others. Whew! That was a close one! As much as I love Noah’s book, podcasts and hosting abilities, Arsenio Hall is my very-much-alive king of late-night TV.
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I don’t remember Arsenio Hall much for political satire and breaking news. I do recall former President Bill Clinton playing the saxophone on his show, but that was about it. This is where Noah has him beat.
And compared to other late-night hosts, there’s something else Noah excelled in. Noah focused on politicians’ actual talking points and behavior instead of reminding us they are old 50,000 times in one hour. A small part of me believes this attitude may be more cultural than it is political because of Black people’s take on being caregivers as opposed to pushing someone into a senior living facility at the first sign of aging. (Admittedly, there are exceptions to this rule such as the guy in the barbershop who had no clue of the laundry list of Trump’s rape allegations but said he wouldn’t vote for Biden because he “falls all the time.”)
And Colbert has gone on and on and on about who is older than him, with or without bringing up Biden. Meanwhile, Noah wrote a whole book and gave so much credit to his mother and late grandmother for being wise and teaching him a wealth of information as these two women age(d).
Recommended Read: “Stop firing old(er) people ~ What Corporate America confirms every time it gets rid of older employees”
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I’m not delusional enough to believe that Biden was not aging and sometimes people who get older cannot do a specific job, but I’m also unwilling to agree to dismiss people because they have the audacity to breathe another year and have a few extra birthday candles. Yes, Biden didn’t do his best in one debate in 2024. But Democrats complaining about this one debate as if Trump didn’t get demolished by the former Vice President Kamala Harris discredits their whole argument. If losing a debate was the sole reason to not vote for someone, explain why MAGA marched to election polling stations and filled in those mail-in ballots to vote for their debate-losing candidate!
Biden lost one debate. So what?
Yes, Biden lost one debate. He also commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act after that debate and delivered remarks for the 115th NAACP National Convention. I’m not altogether clear if the “Biden is old” and “Biden lost the debate” crowd has decided these two speeches on equal rights and anti-racism aren’t worth mentioning.
However, in addition to the former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defending him throughout 2024 and explaining to Colbert that she saw a savvier version of Biden on a daily basis, I wish someone would bring up these two incredible speeches from Biden more often. He didn’t follow Hillary Clinton into the forest after that one debate. He kept on doing speeches and campaigning. Watching Colbert insist on insulting Biden and harping on this one debate more than a year later and 10 months into Trump’s chaotic presidency is beyond draining. I unsubscribed from “The Late Show” YouTube channel.
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Still, I am not surprised that the press secretary wouldn’t back down and join the Biden age-shaming. Jean-Pierre is the same woman who jumped up to defend Harris onstage while wearing a pink dress and heels — long before the other five people jumped onstage before “Dougie” ran from the back, the latter of which was mentioned in “107 Days” although Jean-Pierre was not. She has proven to be the bodyguard in heels! I was convinced that nothing could ever be more cringeworthy on late-night TV than Kimmel tossing a half-eaten strawberry to Guillermo to eat like he was a puppy, but Colbert’s one-sided bickering at Jean-Pierre somehow matched the cringe.