While you might expect Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel to spend their interview together discussing their mutual distaste of Donald Trump — and the title of the video goes that route to get your attention — but the chat itself focuses far more on their respective careers, the interesting behind-the-scenes aspects of late night television, and what we can expect at Sunday’s Emmy Awards.
Comparing Kimmel’s theater to the Ed Sullivan Theater that houses The Late Show, Colbert was surprised to learn that Kimmel’s crew moves his desk out to the set every night. Kimmel compares it to working in a mobile home before calling Colbert’s realm a cathedral, where the desk is stationary and the entire theater literally had a stained glass look on the ceiling. The big difference might be the offices, with the Ed Sullivan Theater being separate from The Late Show offices and connected by some sort of underground labyrinth.
It’s here that Colbert talks about the moment Letterman sort of tossed the keys to the show to him, meeting up before he left the show and showing Colbert how to work the elevator that takes you down to the tunnel. It’s probably one that’s been told before, but it doesn’t limit any of its impact. Where Jay Leno has been connected to controversy during his tenure at The Tonight Show, Letterman truly seemed to inherit that mantle carried by Johnny Carson for so many years.
The second part of the interview features the two hosts facing off over their shared Hollywood agent and his overuse of cologne on a daily basis. After getting him to show off his very tanned abs and finding out that he drenches every part of his body in cologne, the two put on blindfolds and try to see which one knows his scent better. It’s an odd moment for a late night show, something that Kimmel hopes Colbert can top this Sunday, but it’s also something unique. Why not make jokes about your agent, his look, and his love of cologne.
For a split second, you really think they’re going to choose the ashtray full of cigarette butts.
(Via Jimmy Kimmel Live)
