Stephen Colbert's 'rude' remark about Casey Affleck almost led to 'bare-knuckle boxing' on live TV
Stephen Colbert has been able to keep the audience enthralled across 10 successful seasons of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'. His clever commentary won the hearts of people. However, he also provoked derision on a few occasions when his witty banter went too far. In 2016 the veteran comedian engaged in an awkward exchange with actor Casey Affleck. Their conversation turned sour when Colbert's punchline fell flat. "Thanks for dressing up," he said, dubbing him also "a street-corner Jesus"— given Affleck's long curly locks and rugged look.
As per Entertainment Weekly, the 'Triple 9' actor took offense to the comment and called out Colbert for being rude. “I’m not saying you don’t look good,” the talk show host argued after realizing his mistake. He added, “I’m not being rude at all,” and deemed it 'playful ribbing' instead. 'The Finest Hours' actor interjected, "We should probably end up fighting at the end. Like bare-knuckle boxing." Colbert immediately shot back, "I'm wearing glasses, so you couldn't possibly throw a punch at me." Their conversation eventually veered toward Affleck's latest role and his preparation for the movie.
This was an isolated incident. In 2017 the comedian also courted controversy with another gaffe. Colbert, in an opening monologue, made homophobic remarks against President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. As per BBC, he faced severe backlash over his remarks. "Sir, you attract more skinheads than free Rogaine. You have more people marching against you than cancer. You talk like a sign-language gorilla that got hit in the head," he said during the 12-minute rant. #FireColbert started trending on social media soon after. "Colbert's homophobic rant was disgusting and we won't tolerate this anti-LGBTQ behavior," an activist slammed on X (Twitter).
Similarly in March 2024, Colbert chose to remain firm over his jokes about Kate Middleton's cancer diagnosis. “We do a lot of shows, and I tell a lot of jokes, and I tell jokes about a lot of different things — mostly what everybody’s talking about,” he said. “And for the last six weeks to two months, everybody has been talking about the mystery of Kate Middleton’s disappearance from public life." Eventually, he did admit guilt, and stated, "A lot of my jokes have upset people in the past, and I’m sure some of my jokes will upset people in the future. But there’s a standard that I try to hold myself to, and that is I do not make light of somebody else’s tragedy."
Avoiding giving a genuine apology Colbert wished Middleton a speedy recovery. He said, "Though I’m sure they don’t need it from me, I and everyone here at 'The Late Show' would like to extend our good wishes and heartfelt hope that her recovery is swift and thorough." Colbert had previously also claimed on his show that the Prince of Wales was having an extramarital affair which was the cause of the future queen's disappearance.