It was MLB opening day on Thursday with the New York Yankees shutting out the Giants, 5-0, in front of the home crowd. However, that wasn’t the only reason Stephen Colbert was celebrating.
Colbert was excited that a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump on more than 30 charges, news that broke just before he taped “The Late Show.”
“Just a little something worth celebrating today because literally three minutes before I walked out on this stage here – the New York Times reported a New York grand jury voted to indict former President Donald J. Trump,” Colbert said as the audience erupted in applause.
As an aside, we’re not certain, but this might be the first time Colbert has used Trump’s name since Trump left office; he generally refers to Trump as “the former president.”
Meanwhile, after that setup, Colbert grabbed a blue baseball helmet filled with ice cream and ate some and then sprayed some whipped cream in his mouth.
Trump has been under investigation for years by prosecutors in New York for a hush-money payment made on his behalf to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016. The specific charges are unknown at this time, and many outlets reported Trump could be arraigned early next week.
The former president and republicans alike have spoke out against the indictment. Trump called it “political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history.”
While Trump ranted about being the first former president to be charged with a crime, Colbert continued to celebrated with his ice cream and relished in Trump’s legal woes.
“Ladies and gentleman, he was right,” Colbert said. “We’re finally saying Merry Christmas again.”
Colbert admitted he didn’t know if this day would come and added, “I didn’t know it would feel this good.”
“This is good news for everybody,” Colbert added. “Even him. He now gets to join his J6 prison choir. They’re number one on iTunes baby.”
Colbert joked, “You know what, he should see whether that grand jury will cut him a check for $130,000 because he is so screwed.”
To watch Colbert’s full monologue, click the video above.