Stephen Colbert pokes fun at Lawrence O'Donnell by leaking his own meltdown tape

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Late Show With Stephen Colbert)

Earlier this week, somebody leaked outtakes from Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC show, and they were not flattering. "Wow, he went from zero to dad-on-Day-3-of-road-trip like that," Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show, and that was before the hammering began somewhere at MSNBC. After showing censored excerpts of O'Donnell losing his cool, Colbert expressed some sympathy. "Folks, I gotta say, while the footage is not flattering, as a broadcaster, I sincerely feel for Lawrence O'Donnell on this clip," he said. "Hosting a television show is extremely stressful," especially with distractions. In fact, he added, "I had a meltdown of my own recently, so that's why, in solidarity with Lawrence O'Donnell and just to get ahead of the story before it breaks, I'm releasing my own tape." Watch the soft mockery 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.