Stephen Colbert spent a good deal of Monday night's Late Show monologue on Sunday's Grammy Awards, mostly because, as he noted, "Jon Batiste won five Grammys last night!" But the Grammys had more going on than just his bandleader's wins. "One powerful moment was when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an appearance and called on the artists there to support Ukraine" and tell its story, "adding, 'But not you, Kanye, we're dealing with enough already,'" he joked.
"Zelensky's Grammy appearance comes at a critical time for his country," Colbert said. "Russia has almost completely pulled back from the area around Kyiv," and "the world is getting a close look at the horrific path of destruction the Russians have left behind," including "for-sure war crimes." Everyday Ukrainians are finding creative ways to help, too, like leaving Russian looters poisoned food and destroying tank convoys with hobbyist drones, he added. Yes, "Ukraine is stopping Putin by tapping into their most precious resource: bored dads."
Zelensky addressed the Grammys in a prerecorded video, "and I gotta say, as a 48-year-old man, I was just happy to see someone at the Grammys whose name I knew," Seth Meyers joked on Late Night.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Grammys were "a good night overall, because nobody's watching the uncensored Japanese version on Twitter," Jimmy Fallon deadpanned on The Tonight Show. Meanwhile, "Sarah Palin has announced that she's running for Congress in Alaska, which is good news for Republicans and great news for Democrats. You know, for someone who can see Russia from her house, she should've known years ago what Putin was up to."
"Palin is running for Congress," and Trump endorsed her, saying in a statement that "'Sarah Palin is tough and smart and will never back down' — even for Trump, it's impressive to fit three lies in an 11-word sentence," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live. Trump also held a rally in Michigan on Saturday, and "he did a whole set on how a congressman he doesn't like spells and pronounces his name," he said. "The Meijer family owns one of the biggest supermarket chains in the state of Michigan." Everyone in Trump's crowd shops there, and some "probably work at Meijer," Kimmel noted. "They all know how to pronounce it, but he doesn't so it's wrong. Next he'll try to overturn the spelling bee."
The Late Show also had a special country song for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's biggest threat for the GOP nomination.
-
September 1 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday’s political cartoons include Labor Day picnic, branding strategy, and more
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
When does autumn begin?The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU officesSpeed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peaceSpeed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest warSpeed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summitSpeed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
US, China extend trade war truce for 90 daysSpeed Read The triple-digit tariff threat is postponed for another three months
