Stephen Colbert and Oscar the Grouch sing a charming duet debating if the news will get worse or better

Stephen Colbert and Oscar the Grouch sing a duet
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show)

"Following the news is like being on a treadmill, except that I'm gaining more weight," Stephen Colbert lamented on Tuesday's Late Show. "And, as you may have noticed, all that news out there is crazy right now. I really want to believe that things are going to get better, but it's tough." If that sounds like the setup for a Sesame Street lesson-song, it was, kind of. Colbert went for a walk to clear his head and ran into Oscar the Grouch, and they sang a song pitting Oscar's glower power against Colbert's flower power.

The main thrust of the song is the question of whether things will get better or worse in the world. Stuff is bad now, they agreed, "but humans are ingenious, we're not a bunch of quitters," Colbert sang. "You still have faith in humans after logging on to Twitter?" Oscar sang back, and Colbert conceded: "That's a good point." You can enjoy the song, and find out who comes out on top, below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

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.