TV dads Stephen Colbert, 'Pops' Joe Biden tiptoe around Trump in American 'family meeting'


On Tuesday's Late Show, Stephen Colbert said he hears from a lot of viewers that he's like their TV dad, adding that in unspecified "uncertain times like these," it's important for parents to talk with their kids. "That's right, Dad's calling a family meeting," he said, but he wasn't leading it alone. "You know, I'm merely a father figure, I don't have any real power around here," Colbert said. "That's why I also invited a father figure who has actual authority, your Pops Joe."
"Hey champ, how're you doing?" Vice President Joe Biden said, sitting next to Colbert on the couch in nearly matching blue pullover. "Look, Pops and I, we've been worried about all these sudden changes," Colbert said. "We know that you're worried about the changes the family's going through." "It happens to every family, but I'm telling you, this terrible feeling you're having right now, it isn't permanent," Biden said. "It'll be over in four years, maybe eight." That was the closest the parental chat ever came to explicitly referencing Donald Trump, but there was a lot of tiptoeing up to the line.
"You've got to always do your best to mow the lawn," Colbert said. "Doesn't matter that somebody else is about the get the job of mowing the lawn after you, even though as far as you can tell that person has never touched a lawnmower in his life." "Look, kid, it doesn't matter who's mowing it," Pops Biden agreed. "The point is, it's the greatest lawn in the world, and no matter our differences, we're all responsible for its upkeep. And I've got to believe that in their heart, the next mower is going to do the best they can to make sure that lawn, that everyone feels safe to have a picnic on it." "That's a beautiful metaphor," Colbert said. "Metaphor?" Biden asked. "Metaphor, okay. I'm talking about mowing the lawn. What are you talking about?" "Same thing," Colbert said quickly. Watch the TV dads try to obliquely comfort a hurting national family below. Peter Weber
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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.
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