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    Stephen Colbert Asks Santa to Put Mike Lindell in Charge of the G.O.P.

    “Dear Santa, I have been a very good boy this year,” Colbert said to his Christmas Wish Cam about the MyPillow C.E.O.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.All I Want For ChristmasEarlier this week, Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow, announced his campaign to become chair of the Republican National Committee.“Sorry, I just need a moment,” Stephen Colbert said on Thursday night, turning to his Christmas Wish Cam.“Dear Santa, I have been a very good boy this year. I just want one thing for Christmas: Please put the screamy mustache man in charge of the Republican Party.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“But despite Lindell’s MAGA loyalty, the former president has not yet publicly supported his bid. Wow. he hasn’t said anything supportive? But Lindell’s been like a son to — oh, yeah. All right. That makes sense.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“But I’m a bit worried here, because an R.N.C. election pitting Lindell against incumbent Ronna McDaniel could tear the party apart between MyPillow MAGA crazies and traditional conservatives, which is why I propose a compromise candidate, someone right down the middle: Pillow. He’s got everything the Republicans want — he’s white, and he’s square.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (Early Bird Special Edition)“Today, President Biden hosted French President Emmanuel Macron for the first White House state dinner in more than three years. Yep, the French like to eat late, so Biden was like, ‘Got it, 4:30 it is.’” — JIMMY FALLON“The Bidens hosted the French president and his wife for the first official state dinner. Biden does state dinners a little differently than former presidents — they happen at 4 o’clock, and then everybody goes to bed.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“A state dinner at the White House. I wonder if they serve French food or, as Macron calls it, food.” — JAMES CORDEN“This is a landmark event between the United States and France. They’ve finally started negotiations to get Emily out of Paris.” — JAMES CORDENThe Bits Worth WatchingThe “Jimmy Kimmel Live” special correspondent Jake Byrd riled up fans at a recent Herschel Walker rally in Georgia before speaking with the Senate candidate himself.Also, Check This OutEmma Corrin and Jack O’Connell star in the latest version of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.”NetflixThe new Netflix adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” stays faithful to the novel. More

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    Stephen Colbert Is Conflicted Over Oath Keepers Leader’s Conviction

    Colbert said he felt “pretty darn good” about Stewart Rhodes’s verdict: “and I feel a little bad about that, because the thing I feel great about is somebody else going to prison.”Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Lock Him Up!A jury convicted the Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes of seditious conspiracy on Tuesday, for his participation in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Stephen Colbert said on Wednesday night that he was conflicted about feeling “pretty darn good” about the news, adding “and I feel a little bad about that, because the thing I feel great about is somebody else going to prison.”“Rhodes was also found guilty of other bad stuff, which is why he is now facing a maximum of 60 years in prison. That’s a long time, baby. That’s a long stretch. On the bright side, by 2082, the hip new look might be steampunk cowboy pirate.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Now, when you hear the name ‘Oath Keepers,’ you know, and that eye patch, it makes Rhodes sort of seem like a heroic freedom rebel. In reality, he’s a disbarred Yale law grad who wears an eye patch after accidentally shooting himself in the face with his own gun. Oops-a-karma!” — STEPHEN COLBERT“It’s embarrassing, is what it is. That’s like finding out Rambo wears that headband to cover up his ‘live, laugh, love’ tattoo.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“This conviction, make no mistake, is a huge deal. It marks the very first time that a jury has decided that the Jan. 6 violence was the product of an organized conspiracy. Well, yeah! I watched it — it sure seemed organized. I don’t remember any headlines that said, ‘Capitol Meet-Cute Gets Out of Hand.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Rhodes is such a scumbag, even his estranged wife chimed in, saying that the conviction is the first time Rhodes has ever faced consequences. Damn! Damn! That is what you call ‘winning the breakup.’” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (It’s Lit Edition)“December is minutes away from happening, and they got the holidays started in our nation’s capitol tonight. The president and first lady took part in the 100th lighting of the National Christmas Tree. Tonight, thousands of Americans gathered outside the White House to watch an old man flip a light switch.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“The tree, it’s 27 feet tall. They did not chop it down. It is a live white fir tree, it was planted last October, after the previous National Christmas Tree was removed in May of 2021 because it had a fungal disease — the second time that year that a fungus had to be removed from the White House.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Bits Worth WatchingOn Wednesday’s “Tonight Show,” Dolly Parton addressed rumors of a secret unreleased song not be released until 2045.What We’re Excited About on Thursday Night“Stranger Things” star Dave Harbour will talk about his new film, “Violent Night,” on Thursday’s “Late Late Show.”Also, Check This OutChristine McVie of Fleetwood Mac performing at Madison Square Garden in 2014.Charles Sykes/Invision, via Associated PressHere’s a playlist of the 12 best, and best-remembered, songs of Christine McVie, the Fleetwood Mac singer, songwriter and keyboardist who died on Wednesday at 79. More

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    Jimmy Kimmel: Trump’s ‘Not a Racist — He Just Eats With Them’

    Kimmel poked fun at Mike Pence asking Donald Trump to apologize for a recent dinner, saying, “He hasn’t even apologized for trying to kill you.”Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Dinner With SchmucksOn Tuesday, Jimmy Kimmel reported that “several prominent Republicans have distanced themselves from” Donald Trump’s “dinner with schmucks,” including former Vice President Mike Pence.“Even Mike Pence took some time during the world’s saddest book tour to weigh in on that ill-advised meal with the K-K-Ye,” Kimmel said, referring to Pence’s Monday night interview with NewsNation’s Leland Vittert. (Pence said that he believed Donald Trump should apologize for having dinner with a white nationalist, but that he doesn’t believe Trump is an antisemite or a racist.)“No, he’s not a racist — he just eats with them.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“I love Mike Pence telling Donald Trump to apologize. Donald Trump hasn’t even apologized for trying to kill you, you think he’s going to apologize for this?” — JIMMY KIMMEL“[Imitating Mike Pence] He can’t be a racist! He also wanted to kill me, a person lacking all color! I’m a manila envelope taped to a beige wall.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Pence wasn’t the only Republican trying to distance himself from the former president. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy tweeted, ‘The former president hosting racist antisemites for dinner encourages other racist antisemites. These attitudes are immoral and should not be entertained. This is not the Republican Party.’ Counterpoint: Yes, it is.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (Another Round Edition)“Today, the U.S. beat Iran 1-0 to advance to the next round of the World Cup. Yes! U.S.A.! I just hope this doesn’t ruin our incredible friendship with Iran.” — JIMMY FALLON“When asked how they beat Iran, the U.S. coach said, ‘We found their secret game plan in a box at Mar-a-Lago.” — JIMMY FALLON“This is a weird one to root for because, you know, you’d think the U.S. versus Iran would be like Rocky versus Drago. But there’s a revolution going on right now in Iran led by women and young people who are speaking out against the vicious regime that runs that country, and the players for Iran have shown a lot of courage in this tournament. They even refused to sing their national anthem, which resulted in the Iranian government threatening to torture their families, so they weren’t exactly villains. It’s like finding out the shark in ‘Jaws’ is an endangered species — you don’t know who to root for.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Americans haven’t been this fired up about soccer since we remembered it existed last week.” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingPam Grier talked with Trevor Noah about her new podcast, “The Plot Thickens,” on Tuesday’s “Daily Show.”What We’re Excited About on Wednesday NightDolly Parton will promote her new holiday special on Wednesday’s “Tonight Show.”Also, Check This OutBilal Baig is a creator and star of “Sort Of,” a comedy that suggests that almost everyone is in transition in one way or another.Yael Malka for The New York Times“Sort Of” star Bilal Baig returns for a second season of their HBO Max series on Dec. 1. More

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    Late Night Ponders Trump’s Dinner With Kanye and a White Supremacist

    “I can’t imagine having dinner with someone so disgusting,” Stephen Colbert said. “And you have no idea which of those three guys I’m talking about.”Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Three’s CompanyKanye West visited Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago last week, bringing along a white supremacist and Holocaust denier, Nick Fuentes.“I can’t imagine having dinner with someone so disgusting,” Stephen Colbert said on Monday. “And you have no idea which of those three guys I’m talking about.”“You know it’s a bad sign when Kanye West is only the third most controversial person at your dinner table.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Now, just in case ‘Holocaust denier’ doesn’t get the point across, Fuentes is not a good guy. He has spread antisemitic conspiracies, he is considered a white supremacist by the Anti-Defamation League, attended the Unite the Right in Charlottesville in 2017 and the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6. That is the alt-right EGOT, as in, EGOT zero hugs as a child.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“When news got out about this Nick Fuentes guy and the ex-president started getting a lot of criticism, he put out a statement saying, ‘Our dinner meeting was intended to be Kanye and me only, but he arrived with a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about.’ OK, not sure ‘I was only scheduled to have dinner with one famous antisemite’ is the defense he thinks it is.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Just to recap, Kanye West went to Mar-a-Lago to have dinner with Donald Trump, which sounds like the beginning of a joke. And as his plus one, he brought a well-known white supremacist/Holocaust denier, and Trump claims he didn’t know about that. And if he didn’t know, which is worse: Having the guy over for dinner or having no idea you’re letting a racist random into a house that was, until very recently, full of unguarded top secret documents?” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Punchiest Punchlines (Tasting Menu Edition)“This dinner was a multicourse tasting menu of crazy, but we don’t know exactly what happened, because it’s become a real ‘he said, Ye said.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“For instance, Kanye plans to run for president again, and after the meal, he claimed, ‘I think the thing that the ex-president was most perturbed about, me asking him to be my vice president.’ What?” — STEPHEN COLBERT“This will make him nuts. We even made a bumper sticker that I think he’ll like. It says ‘YeTrump.’ Someone print these up.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“He has no problem hosting a guy who wants to go ‘Defcon 3 on the Jews’ or the Holocaust denier that he brought to dinner with him, who he got along with. But if you ever suggest he should be Number Two on someone’s ticket, Trump would be like, ‘You disgust me, sir.’” — TREVOR NOAHThe Bits Worth WatchingThe “Emancipation” star Will Smith told Trevor Noah how he’s been spending his time since the infamous Oscars incident.What We’re Excited About on Tuesday NightKate Berlant will appear on Tuesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”Also, Check This OutWhile sorting through the boxes of his mother’s belongings, Anderson Cooper found himself unsure of what to do with all the strong feelings. So he started documenting them.Sinna Nasseri for The New York TimesAnderson Cooper’s new podcast “All There Is” digs into his own family traumas, as well as those of others. More

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    Late Night Predicts a Tough Thanksgiving

    For the humans, there’s inflation; for the turkeys, there’s avian flu. “To be fair, I’m pretty sure every Thanksgiving is a tough one for turkey,” said Stephen Colbert.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Thank$giving 2022Thanksgiving will be affected by inflation this year.In his Wednesday night monologue, Stephen Colbert attributed that to “a variety of factors, including the war in Ukraine, high fuel prices. But the number one factor, according to experts, is Hunter Biden’s laptop.”“In other words, it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg for a wing and a thigh.” — JAMES CORDEN“This year, your Thanksgiving might look a little different, because prices are up on almost everything, from frozen pie crusts to pumpkin pie mix to a dozen dinner rolls. Well, there goes my favorite dessert: a dozen dinner rolls.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“But it’s not just the supporting players. It’s also the star of the show, Tom Turkey. In addition to inflation, a blight of avian flu means that Thanksgiving 2022 is shaping up to be a tough one for turkey. To be fair, I’m pretty sure every Thanksgiving is a tough one for turkey.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Prices are up because of inflation and supply chain issues. so don’t be surprised if this year, the candied yams are just a potato with a Starburst in it.” — JAMES CORDEN“A new record high for Thanksgiving food items. You know how the economists figured this out? Pie chart.” — JAMES CORDENThe Punchiest Punchlines (The Night Before Edition)“Today was so-called ‘Blackout Wednesday,’ which is known as the biggest bar night of the year. So if you’re watching me right now, you a loser.” — SETH MEYERS“It’s a great tradition, you talk smack about your family to your friends, and then tomorrow you talk smack about your friends to your family.” — JIMMY FALLON“This is actually one of the biggest drinking nights of the year, which is why tomorrow morning people are going to be, like, ‘I’m most thankful for this bacon, egg and cheese and Gatorade.’” — JIMMY FALLON“Right now, some of you are excited to see your family, while the rest of you are about to draw an extra line on a Covid test.” — JIMMY FALLON“It’s a special time, when we gather with family and friends to share our gratitude through America’s traditional expression of love: the food coma.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“A bit of history: I read that Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving an official holiday in 1863. It’s like during the Civil War, he saw our country fighting each other and thought, ‘We should make a whole meal out of this.’” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingBruce Springsteen shared his favorite Thanksgiving dishes on Wednesday’s “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”Also, Check This OutHugh Jackman and Zen McGrath in “The Son.”Rekha Garton/Sony Pictures ClassicsHugh Jackman plays the father of a troubled teenager in Florian Zeller’s drama “The Son.” More

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    Late Night Can’t Wait to Finally See Trump’s Tax Returns

    Jimmy Kimmel joked that Trump “promised to release his tax returns more times than he promised to release Melania.”Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Just in Time for ThanksgivingOn Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected former President Donald Trump’s request to block a House committee from obtaining his tax returns.“He promised to release his tax returns more times than he promised to release Melania,” Jimmy Kimmel joked. “Like 10,000.”“Democrats will only have a few weeks to access the documents before the Republicans retake the House and make them disappear. Basically, Trump’s tax returns are like a close friend’s Instagram story.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Now, following this ruling, we can finally find out if he wrote off Eric as a loss.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (Farewell, Dr. Fauci Edition)“Today, Dr. Fauci gave his final White House briefing before his retirement. He was like, ‘This is my last day, so if you want to inject bleach, go nuts.’” — JIMMY FALLON“Dr. Anthony Fauci today gave what is likely his last coronavirus briefing before retiring at the end of the year. And you can tell he’s kinda given up, because he gave the briefing from a rave.” — SETH MEYERS“Dr. Fauci is 81 years old. Today, Biden was like, ‘Congrats on your early retirement.’” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingStephen Colbert addressed the issues plaguing this year’s World Cup on Tuesday’s “Late Show.”What We’re Excited About on Wednesday NightThe “Dead to Me” star Linda Cardellini will stop by “The Late Late Show” on Wednesday night.Also, Check This OutWomen now make up a majority of players in the New York Philharmonic, but they dominate some sections of the orchestra more than others: 27 of the ensemble’s 30 violinists are women. Calla Kessler for The New York TimesFor the first time in 180 years, women outnumber men in the New York Philharmonic. More