Stephen Colbert interviews President Obama for his next job, works in Trump joke


After he leaves office, President Obama might spend at least part of his time working to reform America's redistricting systems, it emerged Monday. On Monday's Late Show, Stephen Colbert helped Obama prepare for... well, some sort of transition. "There are a lot of signs the economy is improving, but there are still a lot of people out there struggling to find work," Colbert said. "Did you know unemployment is currently at 100 percent among America's Billy Bushes? And a friend of this show is about to lose his job, so last week, I helped him transition to his second career."
In the interview, shot last week, Colbert interrupts a minute of Obama's coffee-and-newspaper downtime, and he offered Obama interview tips dressed up as a mustachioed office manager named "Randy." Randy went through Obama's résumé, offering tips and critiques — "55, tough time to start over for a man," and "okay, little tip — when you say staying in your job would be unconstitutional, what employers hear is that you stole office supplies" — and between Obama's deadpan answers is a healthy dose of self-deprecation. "Do you have any awards or commendations?" Randy asked. "Well, I have almost 30 honorary degrees, and I did get the Nobel Peace Prize," Obama said. "Oh, really? What was that for?" Randy asked, and Obama shrugged: "To be honest, I still don't know."
Obama was able to both tout and downplay his accomplishments, and he urged people — especially young people — to vote at least twice. "Now sir, because we are on a network television show, I cannot allow you to endorse a candidate right now, but I would like to ask you about your choice of snack," Colbert's Randy said. "I have two choices for you here: Would you care for an extra-fiber nutrient bar, which has traveled to more than 100 countries, or this shriveled tangerine covered in golden retriever hair, filled with bile, that I wouldn't leave alone with the woman I love?" You can probably guess Obama's answer, and you can watch the sometimes awkward, frequently funny exchange below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Lollipop: a single mother trapped in a 'hellish catch-22'
The Week Recommends Daisy May Hudson's moving debut feature is a gut puncher in the Ken Loach tradition
-
How Not to Be a Political Wife: Sarah Vine offers 'ringside seat' to British government
The Week Recommends The former spouse of Michael Gove writes 'unsparingly and grippingly' about both personal and political issues
-
How the Israel-Iran conflict broke out
The Explainer Israel's strike on Iran's nuclear and missile programmes was years in the planning
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia