With the recent news of James Comey’s dismissal from the FBI, it’s increasingly clear the plot of the inevitable “National Treasure” reboot should be Nicolas Cage stealing American artifacts of democracy not for money, but the moral good of protecting them from a wayward president.
Along with the Liberty Bell and the Constitution, this updated Cage character could very well have to protect the national treasures that are comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. As Ajit Pai, Trump’s choice to run the FCC, may or may not have implied that Colbert would be under investigation after a joke he recently made about Donald Trump, perhaps Cage will be their — and our — only hope.
But regardless of the potential consequences, Stewart and Colbert continue to just be two jesters unafraid to make fun of the king.
On a “Late Show” that reunited much of the original “Daily Show” cast, Stewart also had a one-on-one interview with Colbert, where the two mocked the recent FCC controversy and #FireColbert movement.
To start the segment, Stewart acted as though he were upset with Colbert, telling him he had “a pottymouth.”
The crowd cheered and Colbert nodded in agreement, pretending to get teary-eyed. “That I do, but might I say ... I learned it from you, dad,” he responded.
The conversation then mostly focused on Comey, Bill O’Reilly’s downfall and Trump, but the duo had a cavalier attitude to swearing ― something the FCC obviously does not like. The curse words were censored, but by the end of the segment, the duo had at least half a dozen swears make their way into the final cut.
At one point after swearing, Colbert was faux-indignant that his cursing was a problem. He turned to the camera, pointed and said, “Shame on you.”
The exact joke wasn’t necessarily a direct response to the FCC controversy, but the vibe certainly felt as if Colbert was in a particularly fuck-it mood concerning FCC regulations.
Immediately following this moment and clearly picking up on Colbert’s attitude, Stewart pivoted to a more direct response to the FCC controversy.
“The things that you say, even if they’re crass, even if they in some ways are not respectful enough to the office of the presidency ― we can insult. He can injure,” said Stewart, referring to the president.
“The things that you say, even if they're crass, even if they in some ways are not respectful enough to the office of the presidency — we can insult. He can injure.”
- Jon Stewart
Stewart continued, “It’s the difference between insult and injury. And for the life of me, I do not understand why in this country, we try and hold comedians to a standard we do not hold leaders to. It’s bizarre.”
Understandably, the crowd erupted into applause at this. (Even though they also applauded at James Comey’s firing.)
But in any case ― despite all their rage, they still might need Nicolas Cage.
