Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondents' Dinner

Comedian Stephen Colbert's legendary takedown of President George W. Bush to his face at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner.
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[@FireCrashers]

In Bush's defense, at least he actually attended the White House Correspondents Dinner.

[@rachelthomas5128]

FireCrashers when that has to be the one defense…

[@jackbrian7083]

@@rachelthomas5128 when the New guy cant even use that defense

[@nello6303]

The war criminal went but the baby snatcher is a coward, what a world

[@husseinmohammed1431]

@jason rhea your using the media rn

[@SureshSukumarBabu]

@jason rhea Really? what world are you living in?

[@ciananmortem3127]

Serious freaking balls on Colbert, this really is worthy of the history books with regards to political protest.

[@Rakven]

lol

[@adarsh8831]

Yep

[@renep1668]

yeah a deep state puppet of the CIA who follows orders to do liberal propaganda HUGE BALLS *eye roll*

[@FelixEditz]

@@renep1668 Do you think you sound sane when you say things like that

[@aylbdrmadison1051]

@Pagani Zonda : Judging ones sanity based on whether you agree with them or not is qualified insanity.

[@danieldougan269]

My favorite quote: "Reality has a well-known liberal bias."

[@TheRealNabil]

Daniel Dougan it’s not true tho.... it may have been slightly more accurate in 2006 but liberals are a joke now but so are republicans so idk anymore.

[@Mythraen]

@@TheRealNabil You mean SJWs. Their relationship with factual reality is almost as tenuous as that of what has become mainstream conservativism. However, for now, as far as I know, SJWs are still a vocal minority, not the majority. Also, I haven't heard that much from them recently, but maybe I just stopped looking.

[@alalalala57]

@@Mythraen Simple. The "SJW" fairy tale is no longer chic for conservatives and Internet trolls, so that's why you suddenly don't see them as much anymore. No real social phenomena would've disappeared so quickly. That's because they weren't really all that real anyway.

[@Mythraen]

@@alalalala57 You have no idea what you're talking about.

[@360.Tapestry]

for white nationalists, the sjw boogeyman has been replaced by blacks. a return to tradition

[@darkchocolate3390]

The fact that George W. Bush shook his hand after Colbert delivered that performance is amazing.

[@XdeadXheadX]

I think it shows that he has a strong personality. And it shows that we are not used to a president who has a strong personality anymore. Trump is a manchild and would go crazy if someone did this to him.

[@Virus-wc5vt]

XdeadXheadX I think 🤔 you really mean a CHILD 👶!!!

[@rocketamadeus3730]

@@XdeadXheadX People shouldn't fall into the trap of appreciating Bush for the social veneer just because trump has none. Before you know it you'll be pining for trump while a worse person seizes power.

[@henryhe5945]

@@rocketamadeus3730 Trump doesn’t lack just a social veneer. He lacks a large chunk of the average person’s sense of morals as well. Perhaps there will come a president with worse policies than Trump, but hopefully never one less moral.

[@rayh.8456]

@@XdeadXheadX I'm not entirely convinced that his 2016 run wasn't fuelled by his need to show up Seth Meyers

[@SquirrilahFish]

“If I decide the Panama Canal was built in 1941 that’s my right as an American” If that’s not an appropriate metaphor for current America idk what is.

[@RustinChole]

Right? It’s like tens of millions of people are emulating his attitude but without the irony.

[@mikejeffries3333]

"If I decide that January 6th was a dangerous terrorist attack carried out by BLM and Antifa, that's my right as an American!" "But... the people there were clearly Trump supporters. Literally nothing they did indicated their support for BLM or Antifa." "In that case, January 6th was a peaceful protest by concerned patriots and does not need any investigation." "But you just said-" "It's my right as an American to say it!" "What you just said-" "MY AMERICAN RIGHTS!"

[@emiliocabra331]

How is Colbert still standing with those huge balls

[@zonetai5340]

You have to understand that these crowds are quiet for two reasons: 1. They have massive egos. They're the most powerful people in the world, and everyone walks on eggshells around them. They probably aren't used to being roasted. 2. They are political creatures. They don't want to get caught laughing too hard and the target sees them and gets upset.

[@stranraerwal]

Zone Tai: thats a very precise analsysis

[@nealdesai8779]

That's part of it. But really, the reason the laughter is so quiet is because most of the people in that room are just lizards with human skin masks parading as our politicians. As we all know, lizards are incapable of comedic perseption, and will always miss the joke.

[@jdog7797]

@@nealdesai8779 somebody watched "They Live"

[@dhotnessmcawesome9747]

@@nealdesai8779 Joke? You're saying this man was joking. Yes! Uh... Yeah. KAKAKA! I get it. Wait... H-A not K-A. Stop typing that! Why are you still typing what I'm saying. Stop typing! Dammit! Stop typing "stop typing"! Someone get in here. The mind control drugs aren't working on this one. What? Oh. Right! The emergency hammer! Hit him where? Oh. Okay so right here. Okay. On 3. 1. 2.

[@richardmilliken5651]

@@nealdesai8779 Colbert wasn't funny?? He sucked big time! Carlin would've been funny!

[@enabler2456]

How on earth did they let him finish??!! LOL

[@Entrophius]

This was a legendary 2006, when people had enough skin to take a joke.

[@Tatukxz]

Woud have been 100x more embarrasing for Bush if he hadn't let him finish

[@jkidder01]

Shortest comedian speech in 15 years... Maybe he did and we don't know

[@queenelizabethi5868]

Everyone gets their time. And roasting is tradition

[@nafisa.t13]

Because 1st Amendment. Hasan Minhaj got to do it too, not as well, but did it.

[@Yesornoization]

I actually continue to argue this was a very important moment in comedy.

[@masquerade3979]

+Yesornoization This is one of the greatest in history..if not the most impactful moments..totally agree

[@chrisb4907]

I'm not sure how widely reported it was. One of the greatest performances of recent times

[@Mythraen]

@@chrisb4907 Based on skimming the Wikipedia article: Media did not really report on it immediately. Amusingly, one reporter (replying to someone about it, I think) said "it wasn't funny." That reporter was an idiot, though, so no worries there. Regardless, it shortly after received a lot more attention, as did Stephen's show.

[@ItsAsparageese]

Ngl I think y'all are crazy. I enjoy Colbert a lot, usually, but I just finished watching this after several other correspondents' dinner speakers and IMO it was by far the least funny and also one of Stephen's least funny performances compared to his other stuff. Just wasn't a strong set. It happens sometimes

[@handylingua]

@@ItsAsparageese - Least funny? Perhaps. Most insightful and downright prescient? Absolutely. (Arguably he was the Cassandra of that moment in time!)

[@alexlandherr]

Wow, an NSA joke 7 years prior to Snowden leaks...

[@lrm9298]

Alex Landherr Snow job

[@Piecesrestonthabed]

@monavari it was public knowledge that the NSA was spying on American citizens at that point, Snowden just showed how deep it goes and the specific methods they use.

[@supreme1572]

The bush phone wire taps were public knowledge Snowden just showed us how it continued and became super high tech.

[@Dubanx]

@@Piecesrestonthabed This. Back when the history channel actually did good stuff, they did a report on how the government was monitoring the entire nation's calls. Even included some examples of innocent calls that triggered a red flag for review. Such as one person who said something along the lines of "last night's party was the bomb". People still called it crazy up until Snowden "Exposed" it. Even though it had been publicly known long before him. P.S. it was presented as "This is what's protecting us" like it was a good thing.

[@BradyPostma]

The movie _Sneakers_ was doing NSA political commentary in 1992.

[@DixonFrancoisJr]

"Events can change,...this man's beliefs never will" lol

[@Rickey2630]

***** I just LOVE that one xD xD

[@nicolesong6199]

what's the context for that?

[@aviralgupta393]

@@nicolesong6199 WMD in Iraq was the reason the war started but even after no evidence being found by anyone the war continued, hence events changed=no WMDs but man's belief=war on iraq never did

[@InXLsisDeo]

@@nicolesong6199 Bush and his administration were doing everything based on their beliefs and always discarded facts that contradicted them. That's also the period when Fox News started to attack facts themselves. That was the beginning of the post facts period.

[@metadotjpg]

@@nicolesong6199 I mean, some would say that because the full quote is "What this man believes on Monday, he will believe on Wednesday, no matter what happened on Tuesday," it's deep-cut on the fact that 9/11 *was* on a Tuesday, and it's actually a criticism of the way he handled the attack on the Twin Towers (mainly by using it as a thinly veiled excuse to start an illegal war)... but then again, I might just be trippin'.

[@ParhelionMedia]

Weird to watch this 12 years later and all of Colbert’s criticisms about post-truth reality in government and media have come to pass.

[@alberto8461]

They were true back then. Remember the WMDs? But today, we've got a Potus who literally can't speak in public without spewing lies and insults and unlike Bush (who was stupid and had terrible ideas but truly wanted to do a good job) this POS doesn't give even the tiniest f about anyone or anything that isn't named "Trump."

[@ParhelionMedia]

AlbertO Agreed. Somehow, with Obama in between, I seem to have forgotten that the blatant manipulative lies coming from the Fox News sector has been building since then. When Colbert says “reality has a strong liberal bias” I was thinking damn, we were saying that back in 2005 too! Colbert was pretty edgy back then, but yikes, this is nothing compared to Michelle Wolf and the dysfunctional wannabe fascist insanity of this administration.

[@ilvat97]

And comparing this to what one would say about Mr President

[@EmbassyNerdcore]

I believe my GUT that the coronavirus isn't real. My GUT tells me that Trump is making America great again. Every single dirty bacteria slowly rotting all that I consume, is telling me that it sees Trump as a WINNER, and it wants to get CLOSER to that source of high energy!

[@NunyaBey]

And now America is a fascist country.

[@ICONDulaDaRula]

Your grandchildren will have no idea what a Glacier is. That's POWER! This is a very very intense and powerful message!

[@juliaeve]

"Think about it...I haven't". 😂

[@beckerboy1225]

Hahaha every time they panned to the crowd it was a bunch of people looking very uncomfortable. Love it!

[@corbenoneill3092]

Lucas Becker old rich white people being told the truth they should look uncomfortable ,Colbert for president !

[@drunkmike9943]

Lucas Becker It's because they don't get 90% of the jokes.

[@metacritical42]

drunk mike sounds like at least a a third or half of the room is laughing. i think the whitehouse camera and editing team where.... biased

[@metacritical42]

trololol. nah i wasnt really serious about that but I did hear that the room did not have a proper mic set up to pick up the crowds laughter. at least that was colberts rational according to an interview. might be quite possbile and it had nothing to do with bias.

[@SoloDallasII]

+Lucas Becker Stephen was so brave. He didn't hesitate once and never let that tense silence get to him, in fact he reveled in it.

[@rocketamadeus3730]

I rarely resort to this cliche, but Stephen Colbert has BALLS.

[@torbot_]

Well thank you!

[@SCADOOSH69]

I think you mean a vagina!

[@user-ml4gw1qy2v]

@@torbot_ this showed me what a prick the man can be.

[@christopherporter2459]

And I bet they're beautiful ❤️

[@richardtaylor3331]

This never gets old. I love this speech. Its marvelous.

[@richardtaylor3331]

***** I guess I need to change it because you are the second person to say that.

[@robingallagher3856]

Richard Taylor ive seen it like 25 times, and its the best.

[@jamforacurejamforacure6684]

Genius

[@PickledThyme1]

You should put an apostrophe between the t and s in its.

[@justinsalazar4952]

Pickled Thyme you shouldn't have said anything.

[@danieldougan269]

This is what it means to be a satirist.

[@nicolesong6199]

yes it was very excellent, sharp, backhanded comedy like the best satire i've ever seen.

[@billythekidder7182]

I’ve never seen a comedian so good that the audience bombed.

[@sateeshmaharaj9730]

Brilliant response. Cheers to your comment

[@remcat03]

"If you;re strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you're strong enough to stand at a bank of computers and order men into battle." OMG!!

[@InXLsisDeo]

Also about the old generals who retired, the context is a number of then recently retired high rank generals started to publish opinion pieces severely criticizing the Iraq war. So Colbert's solution to this "problem" was "don't let them retire !"

[@user-up3iq2gp3b]

Lol Colbert calling Fox News “Fake News” 14 years before everyone. 😆 😂

[@DarkTempler1]

Its funny that this was our worst president before trump and yet he still can show up to his white house correspondent's dinner unlike trump and get roasted.

[@cordeliahamilton1061]

Youre right, Trump is too much of a wimp to attend, and too stupid to even get the jokes ! This comes from a woman in the UK - we're fascinated with the circus that is your government.😀

[@alberto8461]

+AbyssGnasher Yes! Unlike Trump, W has a sense of humor and is secure enough to sit there and let himself get roasted. It's true: Trump makes George W Bush look like a statesman by comparison. I *hated* W when he was Potus, but compared to these past 15 months of Trump, those 8 years of GWB don't seem so bad.

[@InXLsisDeo]

He didn't know he would be roasted like that though. The Bush administration was so inept they didn't know Colbert was a fake republican.

[@agilemind6241]

No, everyone knew WHCD will involve a roasting, just like every administration knows SNL will make fun of them. Real politicians just take it as par for the course of being a politician. Only insecure egomanics can't take a joke.

[@thepianoman6958]

How would you know he's too stupid to get the jokes? Are you Trump, himself? I don't think so.

[@ChrisBrengel]

I call it "the no fact zone." Fox News--I want a copyright on that. Oh how true that has turned out to be.

[@tinaloye2014]

Well they call it alternative facts now so that Colbert doesn’t sue

[@InXLsisDeo]

It was already very true at the time.

[@DrTune]

"He calls her his better half.. and polls show America agrees." Oh man I can come back to this video over and over.

[@nihalsahu]

"And Reality has a well known Liberal bias." That takes huevos rancheros

[@nicolesong6199]

Ayyyyyy it does.

[@longschlong846]

That sounds like something ba liberal would say

[@RodrigoDLM]

Hahahahahaha indeed

[@andreabrozek2585]

Love Stephen. Notice that W could take a joke, unlike King Tangerine!

[@christopherporter2459]

King Tangerine ha! That's a good one

[@DixonFrancoisJr]

Colbert cuts deep.

[@guitarjam2178]

+Dixon Francois Jr. And twists

[@nurlindafsihotang49]

IT's Caesar's assasinations style!

[@Svedina80]

Damn, that's brave. He was probably sweating as hell and expecting security to lift him out of there at any moment

[@user-ml4gw1qy2v]

yeah, it got to the point where jokes weren't funny but only heaped more coals. i've said it before i never liked bush but lordy, i would've thrown him out the door myself if i were bush.

[@user-ml4gw1qy2v]

people would then say you can't take a joke. i can take a joke, it's b.s. i cannot tolerate.

[@isakaldazwulfazizsunus7564]

This is brilliant. Stephen Colbert is a genius.

[@Cinemafan21]

He is hilarious and impresses me how he stays in character. Sadly nobody in that room seems to have a sense of humor. He's so good here.

[@PickledThyme1]

I love how he treats his own fumble with the glass joke so gracefully.

[@rachelshugart8586]

It was a play on Bush's fumble on "fool me once"

[@00BillyTorontoBill]

There had to be a republican guy or girl who said lets get Stephen Colbert. Wonder where they are right now...Guantanamo?

[@KazenoniKakuremi]

LOL for sure! I saw an interview with Colbert where he talks about calling John Stewart after getting this invite and they couldn't believe it John was like, do they watch your show?

[@evantyler8647]

@@KazenoniKakuremi link

[@Moorbote]

@@evantyler8647 It's from "Stephen Colbert: "America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't" | Talks at Google". He also says that he was invited by a guy from the press, the AP to be exact.

[@ItsAsparageese]

The press puts on this event, not the government

[@alexdesmall6916]

Did Republicans let him do this because they didn't understand the character? Haha so awesome

[@DominikLeitner]

No. Not the politicians invite people there, it's the White House Correspondents Association.

[@SophieRutter]

Yeah they did not realize just how critical he would be , the press and the president , they thought he was just a fake republican lol

[@christopherporter2459]

I'm thinking the original poster's was correct

[@jadujen]

His speech was hilarious- I couldn't believe the quietness of the audience!

[@danieldougan269]

They were the butt of many of the jokes.

[@niveshproag8660]

He was making fun of the media to a media audience. It was awkward silence.

[@k.a.carson677]

jadujen Well, the audience didn't have a microphone.

[@jamforacurejamforacure6684]

Most of them had to figure it out on the spot, that they got totally punked with Colbert’s routine

[@InXLsisDeo]

Colbert roasted them as well, and they weren't expecting that. Because they thought they were doing a good job while in fact they had been mostly repeating the lies of the Bush administration without doing any critics or research. That period was a low for the US press.

[@daverumpel]

This right here is a classic.

[@arnatri1503]

I am grateful for the fact that Stephen is still well and alive.

[@SuperG3cko]

Colbert's "from the gut" bit is pretty much how voters think nowadays

[@emiliocabra331]

"I would've made a fabublus press secretary, I have nothing but contempt for these people" hahahaha loled too hard (sorry for bad english)

[@chattemr5992]

This was one of the best takedowns of a clueless, heartless, brainless war criminal I have ever heard. Absolutely priceless! Stephen Colbert deserves the highest journalistic award for this alone.

[@user-ml4gw1qy2v]

he deserves pr*ck of the year award. i'm not bush fan by any stretch but i'd never insult the president to his face unless that president was donald trump.

[@DrTune]

Some of the greatest and most biting comedy has been at the WHCD; Colbert's is a timeless classic

[@torreshasjams]

Say what you want about the US, but this is what real freedom looks like

[@sjquader]

As a critic of US foreign policy, I agree.

[@sofakinggorgeous]

This never gets old. So brutal! lol

[@lizatanzawa7910]

...at least Bush was brave enough to show up

[@InXLsisDeo]

He didn't know what would come up. Noone knew else you can be sure Colbert would have been cancelled.

[@ida5067]

[likes video before clicking play]

[@thenewsebs]

Meesta kevin likes comment before reading it

[@DragAmiot]

***** too long, didn't read

[@brittaniejones6807]

Anything that involves Stephen Colbert is a guaranteed laugh!!!

[@okrajoe]

The master of political comedy...

[@michaelg4664]

Pretty close though.

[@FranciscoVelez31]

I can only imagine the insults he got as he walked off the stage. Colbert is the man jajaja

[@imperatorcaesardivifiliusa2158]

In America, we use H: jhjhjh

[@klondike3112]

@@imperatorcaesardivifiliusa2158 KZbin isn't america

[@imperatorcaesardivifiliusa2158]

@@klondike3112 And you’re not fun at parties

[@rodham8935]

A brilliant comedian, a legendary speech. It is is just incredible how much he said, what a great performance.

[@mansfieldtigers1]

Imagine Donald trump getting joked about like this. He be throwing a tantrum.

[@lookup6207]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnzQZYVpbJymaq8 It’s worth one more listen ☺️

[@JacobC479]

Actually the correspondents dinner where Seth Meyers and Obama roasted him are more than likely the reason he ran for President, out of spite, and also the reason he hasn't attended any of them since taking office. They also supposedly didn't book comedians for that reason. He's fine with making fun of people but when it's about him it is *NOT* okay lmao

[@lookup6207]

@@JacobC479 that’s exactly why they are worth rewatching 😉

[@mansfieldtigers1]

@@JacobC479 a man should be able to laugh at himself. Presidents should be able to accept criticism. It lets them know what the country thinks and wants. Every president has stood up to the criticism and jokes. He is too soft to be in this position

[@iels7346]

@@JacobC479 if I remember right, alot of Hollywood babies refused to do the dinner because it was Trump and so they haven't had one since.

[@dabay200]

Colbert is a comic genius, he still manages to stay in character whilst Bush's face is souring.

[@kentpaper958]

I admire his courage.

[@InXLsisDeo]

After this roast, a website called thankyoustephecolbert was created, where people would thank him for his jaw dropping speak to power. It received well over 50,000 thank you comments.

[@scottspa74]

This was a masterpiece. So much balls by Colbert.

[@christopherporter2459]

Sooo three?

[@ZenZill]

The Cheney joke at the beginning spelled Bush's doom that evening.

[@J3ui]

dude went effin hard in the paint

[@karimajor1165]

Ouch! "It's like boxing a glacier, um enjoy that metaphor cuz your children are going to have no idea what a glacier is"

[@ngukaochieng7063]

Michele Wolf brought me here

[@alberto8461]

Me too! lol

[@ianmoore3470]

Omg I loved that so much. Everybody said it was inappropriate but it was amazing

[@ApriliaRacer14]

Brilliant! In the heart of the beast and delivered an epic performance.

[@sukhiebrar4488]

George Bush had far more grace than the joker Turmp

[@Somd55]

Sai dasyasiga phaji

[@user-ml4gw1qy2v]

it wasn't grace. most went over his head, and then he realized he just needed to sit thru it and pray for it to stop.

[@christopherporter2459]

*Turnip Trump

[@PhillyFrank1]

"Reality has a liberal bias." No kidding.

[@letsomethingshine]

wantafanta01 He's mocking liberals? If anything, he would see Canadian communism as a joke, since it doesn't even exist.

[@ripwheeler8175]

The basic platform of the democratic party holds water! ALOT OF IT ! Entitlements have gone to far! I mean only a Democrat would come up with technological equality!

[@Theproclaimed]

Jeremy Andrews entitlements like not dying from cancer or burning in your house?

[@Mythraen]

@wantafanta01 No, he wasn't. His entire character on the Colbert Report was a mockery of hardcore conservativism. His show was for liberals. Also, for the record, conservatives in the United States have a very negative relationship with facts. Human-caused climate change is a fact that conservatives don't want to accept. Evolution is a fact that conservatives don't want to accept. Bill O'Reilly doesn't understand that the tides are not a mystery, but are caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon. Reality is often antithetical to conservatives.

[@waengwang5313]

@@ripwheeler8175 what are you talking about? what is this "technological equality?" do you just make stuff up to make a stupid point? Yes. Yes you do.

[@lizprice8783]

This must have been back when people could take a joke and weren't trying to completely suppress the truth.

[@InXLsisDeo]

Well, many in the audience clearly couldn't.

[@piyush10793]

Balls made of adamantium !

[@mbd6054]

I could watch this forever. Mr. Colbert is gifted. Wit, heart, and guts - a rare and incisive bird!

[@funkygerbil2530]

The first time I watched this it took me over a year to sit through all of it. Even to this day I still have a little bit of compassion for W and it's just so full of BURN. I remember all the lead up to it and basically every night on his show he's asking, "Who the hell thought this was a good idea?" and daring them to cancel on him. I do miss "The Colbert" but it is nice to have him out of the closet, so to speak. He does not disappoint.

[@InXLsisDeo]

This roast was entirely deserved, especially since nobody in the room had shown the courage to do 1/10th of what he did.

[@danteshydratshirt2360]

misery accomplished - great line rearranging deckchairs on the Hindenberg - LOL

[@emiliocabra331]

+dante ferno I died

[@danteshydratshirt2360]

Emilio Cabra credit the writers (I think Colbert and Stewart) for those lines I also liked the glacier anecdote

[@konsextus]

At least Bush had the courage to be there for the roasting.

[@InXLsisDeo]

That's only because he didn't know what was awaiting him. we can see he was fuming inside.

[@christopherporter2459]

​@@InXLsisDeo can we really

[@robkennedy1723]

at least bush had the balls to go

[@InXLsisDeo]

He didn't know what was going to happen, else he would have canceled Stephen's speech.

[@mirkolas8124]

Would like to see John Oliver roasting DT on this Dinner

[@veronica_sawyer0188]

Omg I would pay so much to see that😂

[@Rockitout420]

Best and most important WHCD performance ever. Ask your gut

[@rahboggie718]

wow. I never saw this. He went in on the whole administration. Oh man!

[@mclmg]

“This (WHCD) is an event that celebrates freedom of speech, you shouldn’t be able to say everything you wanted to say” - Stephen Colbert, the character, to Michelle Wolf in 2018.

[@khisrowhashimi]

he's really brave, it takes balls to do that

[@InXLsisDeo]

It really did, especially at a time where the entire press corp was dead frightened by the Bush admin. My jaw dropped when I watched this live.

[@bmccaffe76]

Bush administration was beyond inept. Just one more example: booking a comedian who anyone understanding irony knows is fundamentally opposed to everything about you and has gargantuan cajones. Not sure wig would have predicted such a groundbreaking and brave performance. But it's still the height of incompetence to book this guy - like most everything else bush did.

[@bmccaffe76]

Not sure WHO would have predicted...

[@lf8198]

Although in my opinion, the best administrative decision of the entire presidency.

[@bmccaffe76]

+Jimmy Guitar the administration has to approve it. you must be out of your mind if you think a presidential administration doesn't control (via approval at the absolute least if not coordination). if you don't understand something that basic good luck with the whole life thing...

[@steh8831]

And now, in 2017 December 17, 12:41 am, we know that George W Bush was not the worst president.

[@Brassblitz]

Or maybe they did it because they KNEW Colbert was one of their harshest critics, and really funny, and they knew that self criticism is one of the greatest strengths of our democracy. We have a free press that reports the truth even when the government wants them not to. It exposes corruption and is a check against tyranny. Maybe they thought being uncomfortable for one night was worth it to reinforce something more important: our democratic ideals. I honestly see it as an act of patriotism. Why do you assume they would want to "not look bad" more than facing real criticism? What better way to say free speech is more important to me than political disagreements. I'm saying maybe they put country over party in a way Trump never has. We as Americans revel in free speech. We hire comedians to make fun of the president to his face! And that is truly awesome. I respect president Bush for doing it, and I think he did it for the best possible reasons, however much I may disagree with his policies. Too bad president Trump is too much of a coward to go.

[@TiagoSantos-jx6hn]

This is the one true interventional post modern action ever committed in the last two decades !

[@microproductions6]

Never gets old.

[@brittabarnes5151]

I was still in high school during these times so some of the references go over my head but I still appreciate it.

[@rdubs1705]

Colbert is a national hero

[@XXISimplicityXXI]

NSA wiretapping, been there since 2001

[@PinkFloydBootlegs]

Nixon did it before it was cool.

[@d.e.b.b5788]

NSA; the only part of the government that actually listens to you.

[@MrBabylon]

quite literally puts every single person in the room through the shredder, apart from the catering staff.

[@sh230968]

Colbert's life after 2006 is just a bonus. Enjoy every minute of it Stephen.

[@MORBIDbEAUTY87]

10 years wow

[@arsey1833]

MORBIDbEAUTY87 12 now

[@cosmicwanderer891]

@@arsey1833 14 now. WOW.

[@amuroray7492]

A masterpiece performance in sarcasm and irony.

[@tanusuresh5984]

Man this is awsm. The audience is so uncomfortable...... I love it!!

[@iraaus]

what a man He has guts!

[@Shlumpledink]

Good lord. This is brilliant.

[@joeyppppppp2]

Best white house Insults LMAOO in my opinion !😆😊

[@Sammyhammy101]

I haven't seen this because I became a fan in 2007 of Stephen. But after watching Hassan, I watched this. Stephen is hilarious

[@jkidder01]

UnrealizedTalent4u he's still just as good as ever

[@brikatgen]

This is still valid 17 years later

[@ICONDulaDaRula]

Those rich people are dying on the inside they hate this dude til this day for this. Majority of the people there aren't laughing Colbert uses his platform flawlessly!

[@ArthurMoore-ii8nn]

Boy that was brutal.I'm surprised the Secret Service didn't take Colbert out "for a ride" afterwards.

[@AnnaElizabethI]

At least this one showed up lol

[@amogetda]

Balls of steel

[@matt3024]

In 2024 nothing has ever topped this one!

[@clearskybluewaters]

daaaang the roast in this speech

[@mrreggin1]

16:47 the first lady did not look pleased with Colbert lmao

[@01dax]

same as Bush once he'd walked away from him

[@miketom7194]

This should be renamed to Comedy Central's Roast of George Bush

[@adityaramesh1764]

Petition to have Stephen Colbert as President

[@thegabzboy]

This is a smart guy!!!

[@shannonlyonsmurphy4617]

Is anyone watching this after Michelle's? How is her's so much more offensive?! I think her's is #2 following Stephen of course.

[@miguelgordillo3257]

...and Bush was able to laugh, too. most new people watching this don't even realize Colbert's in his old "Colbert Report" character during this whole thing.

[@agilemind6241]

Michelle's was vulgar, Colbert is cutting but dignified. PS I found both hilarious

[@cletusclem8758]

Hasan minaj???

[@APerson-hn8rm]

My personal favorites 1Michelle Wolf 2Stephen Colbert 3Hassan Minhaj

[@DojoMuppet]

I don't think people get that he is taking the piss out of George Bush

[@alberto8461]

No, they understood completely. That's why the following year they skipped the edgy humor and invited Rich Little to give the keynote speech. Rich Little is a skilled - but bland - celebrity impressionist who was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Asking Rich Little to perform 2007 was a sign that the event-planners didn't want to risk inviting a comedian who would criticize President Bush the way Colbert did in 2006.

[@kahirm3677]

Wonder if they'd ever let Sacha Baron Cohen be the host at one of these gigs?

[@Fireheadseptember]

Omg what a roasting !

[@ikerrodrigo8016]

This guy is gold