CNN's Christiane Amanpour tells Stephen Colbert that Jon Stewart was half-right about Trump and the media

Stephen Colbert and Christiane Amanpour talk about Trump and ghost sex

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show)

published 1 November 2018

Jon Stewart, the former Daily Show host and sharp media critic, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that in his view, President Trump has exploited the media's "own narcissism" to deflect from coverage of his policies and make it "all about the fight." "Do you think he's right?" Stephen Colbert asked Amanpour on Wednesday's Late Show. "Do you think that you guys are being played?"

"I do accept a lot of the criticism," Amanpour said, but she wanted to make two points. "One, it is our role, and we must defend our profession. This is a noble profession, this is a profession that in the United States of America, is guaranteed and protected by the First Amendment. ... We cannot bend over and surrender, we're not going to do that." On the other hand, she said, "we cannot be dragged down every single rabbit hole. We must stand for issues and actually keep our eye on the prize," and "some journalists are getting way too emotional about this," understandably but regrettably.

The interview then took an unexpected turn. "Can I just make a point here," Amanpour said. "You know how you were making fun of my fellow Englishwoman and her ghost orgasms?" "Yes, I was," Colbert said. "Well, you know there is something called an incubus, right?" she asked. He did know not only incubi, but about a male version of a nocturnal sex demon, the succubus. "Have you ever met an incubus?" Colbert asked. "I haven't, but a friend of mine has had an incubus encounter," Amanpour said, laughing. "Wow," Colbert said. "Wolf Blitzer, wow."

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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.