Choked-Up Stephen Colbert Addresses Paris Attacks In Last Night’s ‘Late Show’

In wake of the deadly city-wide terrorist attacks in Paris, France, Stephen Colbert ended his Late Show on Friday with an emotional speech about the heartbreaking events that have shaken up the world. The show was filmed in the early evening, which meant the news was just breaking in the middle of the filming.

He then discussed all the ways the news has recently “de-titilated art” before turning the gaze on his own network by explaining the limits of what pieces of art he can and cannot show on The Late Show.

In a segment on his November 12 show, Colbert discussed a clip in which Bloomberg TV censored Modigliani’s painting Reclining Nude. While he can’t show the Modigliani, he can show Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” and “raw, uncensored Georgia O’Keefe”. “And now, um, we’ll see you on Monday…”

In a decidedly un-Colbert ending, the comedian signed off with a notable pause, appearing to struggle to find the right words to say. Colbert continues, adding that it seems so arbitrary – and demonstrating the arbitrary nature of things by drawing two eyes that have to be blurred out when they don’t have an accompanying smile and nose because look like breasts.