Stephen Colbert's Writers Wrote Future Jokes In Anticipation Of the WGA Strike

The WGA has gone on strike! Dustin wrote a great write-up as to why that you can read here. The long and short of it is that studios, as is their nature, are trying to find ways to not pay human beings. That may seem like an oversimplification, but it’s true. Writers want to be compensated in a way that won’t leave them desperate for money between jobs. They want protections to ensure they can support their families. Until they get those things, they are on strike.

While they are on strike, late-night has shut down. The shows may come back without writers, as they did during the last strike. Before we reach that point, Stephen Colbert had his writers come up with some “future jokes.” They’re jokes about things that haven’t happened yet (but may).

The jokes are solid late-night/monologue jokes. An extra layer of fun is trying to figure out which ones won’t be relevant in the future. Writing jokes for late-night is such a rush to the finish line as it is. By the time Colbert hits the screen, the stories he’s covering could be long gone. That’s when he’s telling regular jokes! I’m excited to look back at these when the “future” arrives.

This segment is a lot of fun. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out what I thought was the funniest part. At one point, Colbert presents a picture of his writers (who are talented, nice people), and aside from a few people of color, it is a staggering collection of white people. What’s that called? Is it a “Waggle of whites?”

The future of film and television is on the line because executives want to remove humans from the equation. Writers deserve to be treated fairly. Support artists, support unions, support diversity.