Stephen Colbert pities the Winterfell Starbucks baristas. Trevor Noah pities the real Game of Thrones intern.

The Late Show imagines the Winterfell Starbucks

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

published 7 May 2019

In Sunday night's Game of Thrones, a Starbucks cup was visible in front of Daenerys Targaryen in one scene, and HBO tried to make a joke of the apparent anachronism. As if the Mother of Dragons would drink herbal tea.

At The Daily Show, Trevor Noah poked fun at Game of Thrones viewers upset by the mistake, mostly. "Last week, people complained that the episode was so dark, they couldn't see anything," he said. "This week, people are complaining that they saw too much." Noah was tickled by the idea of a Winterfell Starbucks, though: "Forget the White Walkers — the white gentrifiers are coming. Next thing you know, a one-bedroom in Winterfell is like three grand. Sh-t, that's probably why there's only like three black people in the whole show — we all got priced out."

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"No, I'm going to be honest, I love this so much," Noah said. "I just feel bad for the intern who screwed up, because knowing Game of Thrones, that intern is definitely getting his head chopped off — that's how it goes. Also, why do we assume this was a mistake? Why are people angry? 'They don't have Starbucks in Westeros!' Oh, you're telling me you can believe in a world where dragons are real but a to-go cup is too crazy for you?" Watch other anachronistic Game of Thrones product placements, plus jokes about Britain's new royal baby, black beauty queens, and the Kentucky Derby mess, 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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