Attending the taping of The Colbert Report has most definitely been the coolest thing I've done in New York City.
Back in September I went to the show's website and saw they had tickets available, so I pounced!
On Thursday Bryant and I got to The Colbert Report studio around 4:30 pm.
(They stop letting people in at 5:30 pm)
The great thing about waiting in their line is they are nice enough to have heat lamps above to keep us warm.
We didn't have to wait outside for more than 15 minutes. They issued us ticket numbers based on when we arrived. Our numbers were 65 & 66.
After going through their security we were allowed in the waiting room where they had a few benches to sit on, bathrooms, and water (all of which were greatly appreciated).
While we waited they showed clips from past shows to keep us entertained.
One of my favorites is when Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert reenacted "Even Stevphen", a segment they used to do back when they were on The Daily Show.
(Start watching this clip at about the 2:00 mark.)
I thought about turning my phone back on (they force you to turn them off) and trying to snap a quick picture, but I valued our awesome seats far more than a picture that the staff would have seen me take, then make me delete from my phone...and probably kick us out.
Once everyone was seated they had a warm-up comic come out and get the crowd excited. After a few minutes of him, Stephen Colbert came running out. He did a lap around the studio and while he was running past he gave Bry and I high-fives! (AHH!!) Stephen then took a few questions from the audience while he was out of character. He was super nice and really, really funny. Here was one example:
Random Guy: Do you play the bagpipe?
Stephen: No, I don't. Do you?
Random Guy: No.
Stephen: Why would you ask me that?
Random Guy: I could imagine you, in a kilt, playing a bagpipe.
Stephen: So you're currently picturing me in a kilt? That's really creepy...
It also lead to a few other bagpipe jokes, then he took a few more questions and got ready to start filming.
When you watch the opening of the show, the first thing Stephen says is:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, after a welcome like that...I just want to blow your bagpipe."
(Loved that he threw that in!)
Stephen also interviewed him for a lot longer than the normal interview segment, which they do so they have plenty of material to edit.
On Thursday Bryant and I got to The Colbert Report studio around 4:30 pm.
(They stop letting people in at 5:30 pm)
One of my favorites is when Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert reenacted "Even Stevphen", a segment they used to do back when they were on The Daily Show.
(Start watching this clip at about the 2:00 mark.)
Once it was finally time to head into the studio, the staff announced they would be seating the VIP group first, then they would call your group number and you could come forward to be seated. I figured we would be somewhere in the middle just base on being in the mid 60's.
After they seated the VIP group they came out and called "65!"
(We were shocked!--and stoked!)
So they led us into the studio and had us sit on the very front row, smack dab in the middle of the studio in front of Stephen's desk!! (Ahhh!! We were SO excited!!)
Below is a shot of the entire studio. You can see our seats in the bottom left corner of the picture.
Once everyone was seated they had a warm-up comic come out and get the crowd excited. After a few minutes of him, Stephen Colbert came running out. He did a lap around the studio and while he was running past he gave Bry and I high-fives! (AHH!!) Stephen then took a few questions from the audience while he was out of character. He was super nice and really, really funny. Here was one example:
Random Guy: Do you play the bagpipe?
Stephen: No, I don't. Do you?
Random Guy: No.
Stephen: Why would you ask me that?
Random Guy: I could imagine you, in a kilt, playing a bagpipe.
Stephen: So you're currently picturing me in a kilt? That's really creepy...
It also lead to a few other bagpipe jokes, then he took a few more questions and got ready to start filming.
When you watch the opening of the show, the first thing Stephen says is:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, after a welcome like that...I just want to blow your bagpipe."
(Loved that he threw that in!)
It was really cool to watch how they film each segment, then to watch Stephen crack up on a few of the jokes and have to start filming from the top.
Normally when the show starts he does what they call a "Table of Contents" that breaks down the main topics of the show. The one they filmed when we were there was cut from the broadcast. (It wasn't really that funny, and he went a little longer on his opening with the added bagpipe joke, so that's our theory on why it was cut.)
The guest was Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard professor who was promoting his new book.Stephen also interviewed him for a lot longer than the normal interview segment, which they do so they have plenty of material to edit.
This is the entrance that guests of the show use.
When we were first seated there were souvenir pens waiting for us!
(It's the little things in life that bring us the most joy.)
In between takes Stephen was shooting his "WristStrong-Wrist Awareness" rubber bracelets into the crowd.
So incase you missed the episode, here's the link to watch it in its entirety:
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