Was Colbert’s Sit Down With Hillary Clinton A Little Too Comfortable?

Since The Late Show with Stephen Colbert premiered last September, CBS’ followup to David Letterman‘s storied late night television reign has had an interesting go of it. From the Comedy Central alum’s apparent apathy about garnering high ratings, to his inability to appeal to lay audiences, it seems Colbert is fighting a losing battle — unless he’s interviewing politicians who aren’t campaigning for a higher office. Hence the comedian’s sit-downs with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vice President Joe Biden have given the Late Show audience some of the program’s most memorable moments.

Visits paid by politicking politicians (sans Donald Trump), however, haven’t been so great, as was the case for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton‘s pre-taped segment at the Carnegie Deli on Monday. As The Daily Beast noted, the nearly five minute-long video “had a far cozier vibe than some of the host’s previous political interviews.” Instead of addressing the former Secretary of State before the studio audience, as he’d done during their previous encounter, Colbert opted for a comfortable, closed-set atmosphere at the famous eatery. What’s more, he didn’t really ask her about anything substantial — like political platforms or her New York primary rival, Bernie Sanders. Colbert instead picked Clinton’s brain about her “likely opponent” Trump, eating meat despite her husband’s veganism, and the Iowa State Fair’s penchant for deep-frying everything.

To be fair, the talk show host pursued a similar tactic with Sanders during the Vermont senator’s visit back in February. Neither Clinton nor the Democratic Party ever came up in their conversation, which mostly served as a platform for Sanders’ campaign promises and, of course, dissing Trump. Yet Monday’s easy interview with the Democratic front-runner aired the night before a major state primary worth 247 delegates. The timing seems a bit curious, no?

But hey, at least we all got to see Colbert stuff most of an entire slice of cheesecake into his mouth. (And Clinton’s infamous laugh, to boot.)

(Via The Daily Beast)

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