As The Late Show with Stephen Colbert nears its end, the show aired material that was never broadcast to the public—including a racy “butt” joke about Donald Trump.
On the show’s final Monday night episode, Colbert, 61, filled his audience with members of his team and played the “never-before-seen” quips that were shelved over the years. “We thought, just as a thank you, we have a few more fun-to-show-you things we made but never aired, and we’ll call it The Worst of The Late Show,” he began.
“Technically, what you’re about to hear is still the best worst stuff we ever made.”
Amongst these jokes was a bit designed for the 2016 election, in which Trump ultimately beat Hillary Clinton for the prize of president. Colbert explained that he and his team were so sure Clinton would win the election that they went to great lengths to celebrate the impending victory.
“As the results started to come in, it became clear that we had planned for a different outcome,” the CBS host explained.
“We were so sure that The New York Times prediction needle was right, we hired a bunch of naked male models with the words ‘I Am With Her’ painted on their full, plump butts.”
The joke was a reference to Clinton’s unofficial campaign slogan, “I’m With Her,” which was emblazoned on emails, bumper stickers, and T-shirts throughout the nominee’s presidential bid. Colbert displayed pictures of nude models with the words across their bodies, joking, “Sadly, all of those models had to be put down.”
Colbert said that they “tried to save the bit” as the poll numbers trickled in. “As the outcome became clear, we repainted their butts to say, ‘We are f---ed.’”
“Between those two butt cheeks, our co-executive producer was backstage screaming into his headset, ‘Scrub the butts!’” Colbert said.
“That night, even the butts cried,” Colbert’s producer Matt Lappin shouted from the audience.
Colbert’s final episode will air on May 21. The decision to cancel the show, widely criticized as political, has angered fans. Colbert has hosted The Late Show since 2015.
