Colbert Wore A Black Lives Matter Bracelet On 'The Late Show'

[kpete]

Stephen Colbert wore a bracelet given to him by an audience member in support of the Black Lives Matter movement on the Friday episode of "The Late Show."

Patrick Waldo, who attended the New York City taping with a friend, gave the bracelet to Colbert in hopes that Colbert would be called on him during the pre-show Q&A session. He said he wanted to ask "The Late Show" host about his support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Tonight I went with my friend @sharronicanyc to a taping of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. It was awesome, but that was expected. Less expected: I brought a Black Lives Matter wristband with me on the off chance that he would call on me during the Q&A before the show. The group I'm a part of, @nyc_shutitdown, got a bunch of these made and we use them to fundraise for our weekly #PeoplesMonday actions. I've been wearing them all day every day and they have sparked several needed conversations with people who notice them. I was sitting in the last row but somehow he called on me anyway. I was the first of three people he called on. I stood up and nervously told him I'm a longtime fan. Then I told him I've been involved in the Black Lives Matter movement for the last year. I said "From one member of the ruling class to another," and he laughed and interrupted me and said "The ruling class? What do you rule? Because I rule this theater!" I said "You do! So I'm gonna put you on the spot right now and ask you to wear this Black Lives Matter wrist band on the show, AND say Black Lives Matter at least once during the show because I think your audience needs to hear it!" He responded immediately, "Bring it to me" and then "But I make promises to no one!" I ran it up to the stage and handed it to him and shook his hand and thanked him. He put it on immediately and said "I'll see what I can do. But I make no promises." Then he took two more questions from the audience. After the last one, I could see he was kind of distracted and thinking of something, and he turned back to me and said "This wrist band feels like it was made for someone with much bigger wrists than mine. I want to wear it around my neck like a lovely necklace." Then he said if he couldn't work it in tonight, he'd find a way to do it within the next couple of shows. He said something like "Does that work?" and I said yes and thank you and then he kept it on for the rest of the night. Pretty commendable. Taking a stand on the right side of history is no small thing. After the show, as we were walking away, a security guard said "Black Lives Matter!" and "He'll put it in. He's a man of his word."

MORE:
https://instagram.com/p/7g-FNjmrvi/?taken-by=moustachemannyc
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/stephen-colbert-black-lives-matter-bracelet-late-show

[lame54]

1. he may have gone mainstream...

But he is still the same Colbert
I expect great things from this show

[daleanime]

5. Amen.....

[PeaceNikki]

2. He's awesome. I'm so happy he got this gig.

I was sad and skeptical for a second when I heard, but that was a fleeting moment and was quickly replaced with joy.

[peace13]

3. Nice!

Wish. Could recommend this more than once! : )

Black lives matter!

[arely staircase]

4. Colbert is a national treasure

He and Jon Stewart kept me sane through some of the seemingly bleakest moments in recent American history.

[classof56]

22. Thanks for saying exactly what I have long felt and said--Stephen is indeed a national treasure.

And yes, don't think I would have survived the Bush years and their aftermath if not for him and Jon. I am relieved that he is now host of the Late Show. So far he has not let me down, even though he claims to have let go of the Colbert Report persona. It's still with him, for which I am grateful!

[stonecutter357]

6. K&R!

[me b zola]

7. K&R

[stillwaiting]

8. Very, very good. Good man. nt

[mountain grammy]

9. K & R

for Stephen Colbert and Black Lives Matter. The BLM movement is so necessary and long overdue.

[lostnfound]

10. I love Colbert.. Like George Clooney and Nicolas Cage...

He's adorable, so bright, grounded and sexy as hell in my weird opinion.
His mind has such a wide range, I remember him quoting bible verses in Latin one time...it was so unexpected. His mind would be endlessly fascinating. I just love his complexity. And both he and Clooney try to do the right thing.
Cage hasn't always done the right thing, he is a work in progress. And he has donated big time to Amnesty International, Hurricane Katrina victims, work on international arms control.

[WIProgressive88]

11. That. Is. Awesome!

n/t.

[Stellar]

12. WOW! Thanks for sharing!

[appalachiablue]

13. K & R. This is great, thank you! Colbert is awesome. I'd like one of the BLM wrist bands too.

[Rex]

14. He can change the tone of main street America.

Colbert can do it.

[MisterP]

15. he's a Charlestonian, a Catholic, a damn smart cookie,

and knows what unutterable and permanent pain of heart and spirit feels like

[NonMetro]

16. So Far...

BLM, or at least those claiming to be BLM, have disrupted the Clinton campaign and the Sanders campaign, along with otherwise protesting Democratic events around the country. Note that they're not targeting Republicans, just Democrats. Why?

[Texas Blues]

17. Because it's a lost cause

Everyone knows that black lives don't matter to Republicans, so what's the point? At least for the extremists like Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Their security would beat on BLM with nightsticks if there weren't any videos.

Besides, since the Republicans aren't going to get elected anyway, save resources for people who matter. Look how successful we were in getting Bernie Sanders on board after taking over his speech. Much better this way.

[kpete]

18. sad

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027169191

[NonMetro]

20. I Agree..

Last edited Mon Sep 14, 2015, 04:17 PM - Edit history (1)

But the problem with BLM, IMO, is that there really is no organization. It's just a slogan that anyone can pick up and run with. I even read that one of the BLM activists who disrupted Sanders was a known tea party activist a few years ago. So, The "movement", if it can be called that can easily be co-opted by just about anyone.

[Omaha Steve]

19. K&R!

[JDPriestly]

21. K&R. Beautiful.

Black Lives Matter.