Stephen Colbert came to the defense of Larry Wilmore’s “great” White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech during his “Late Show” opening monologue on Monday.
“[Wilmore] stunned that room,” Colbert said of the “Nightly Show” host. “People in Washington aren’t used to seeing two black men speaking at the same event. There was a little controversy, a moment at the end where Larry said the n-word. It was shocking, but it did lay the groundwork for President Trump to say it next year.”
“Personally, I thought Larry gave a great speech,” Colbert, who gave one himself at the event in 2006, continued. “He did not let the President or the press off the hook and I am confident that Larry will receive the ultimate recognition for his work — never being invited back.”
Wilmore earned plenty of groans from the assembled press for his speech, which largely focused on the failures of the mainstream media.
Watch the video above.