Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | October 1, 2025
Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly starred in a production of a play called True West on Broadway 25 years ago. The duo played brothers who are at each other’s throats while trying to write and sell a screenplay. What made this production special was that the actors would switch parts throughout the run. While not entirely related, it was the first thing that came to mind when I heard Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel appeared on each other’s shows last night.
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel have a lot in common! They’re both straight white men who have late-night talk shows. Each of them was in multiple shows on Comedy Central. They both know Seth Meyers. I’m pretty sure about that. Oh, and they both became targets of an authoritarian regime that has sought to silence critics at every possible turn.
ABC suspended Kimmel as they caved to the administration, and they are still experiencing the fallout. Folks were not happy that they bent the knee and showed them with their wallets. CBS cancelled Colbert’s show, but he has until May to ride the wheels off of the place. There is definitely an energy about him right now that screams “zero f***s left to give.” That said, it’s Colbert, so he’s still pretty nice about it.
Now, the two have joined forces to stage a stunt so wonderful it would make Brendan Carr’s head spin. Colbert and Kimmel appeared on each other’s shows last night, at the “same time” and the results were spectacular. Given that, on Colbert, the duo did shots of tequila with Guillermo, I believe that Kimmel’s show was filmed first (they also make reference to Kimmel needing to make it to midtown from Brooklyn in rush hour traffic, but the booze is the real giveaway).
Both interviews were pretty spectacular and wonderfully sweet. It gave each host a chance to discuss what happened to them, as these were the first sitdowns either of them have had since the news broke. Kimmel talks about having to not film his show, even though the audience had already been seated. Colbert discussed filming the announcement that he was canceled, how it was the first time most of his staff had heard the news, and that he messed up the recording twice before getting it right.
The best part about the whole thing is not the novelty of the situation, although that is pretty great. It’s that neither man has lost their resolve during all of this. They’re loud and proud and strong, which is exactly what we need right now. They aren’t being Jimmy Fallon, who went out of his way to tell CNBC that his show isn’t political, which is a pretty cowardly move at this juncture.
Some of my favorite moments from these segments include Colbert showing footage of him learning in real time about Kimmel’s suspension, and Kimmel giving Colbert a bong made out of the Statue of Liberty that has some kind of metal mask on. It’s the most horrendously tacky-looking thing I’ve ever seen, and I loved it.
This isn’t the first time that two late-night hosts appeared on each other’s shows on the same night, but it is obviously monumental. It’s about more than just trying to jazz things up for sweeps week. These interviews were about showing that they aren’t afraid of the people in power who seek to shut them down. Not only are they not going down easily, they’re only getting stronger.
