Watch Stephen Colbert Dedicate ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ to Pope Francis
Stephen Colbert gave a warm welcome to Pope Francis on The Late Show by dedicating an entire episode to “Frank.” Not only did Colbert keep a seat warm specifically for the Pope, but he also sang a little James Taylor as a dedication.
“Francis is totally my new favorite pope,” Colbert said to his audience. “I was saddened, in fact, to hear that the pope himself is unhappy. He quoted a recent radio interview where Francis complained about fake friends. “I have felt used by people who presented themselves as my friends and whom I hadn’t seen more than once or twice in my life,” the Pope said earlier this month. “They have used that to their own benefit … I never had so many quote-unquote ‘friends.'”
“I told him not to join Taylor Swift’s girl squad,” Colbert added after reading Francis’ quote.
The host pulled another Francis quote from the same interview where the pope noted that “the Bible says to have one or two friends.” Colbert then joked that that quote proves that “Entourage is the work of the devil.”
To comfort his new favorite pope, the comedian dedicated a rendition of James Taylor’s Carole King-penned hit “You’ve Got a Friend” to His Holiness. “Just chant out my name, and unless the traffic is bad, I’ll come runnin’, Frank baby, and we will transcend,” Colbert sang with Late Show bandleader Jon Batiste.
The dedication of an entire episode to Pope Francis follows Colbert’s takedown of Catholic congressman Paul Gosar. Gosar had refused to attend the Pope’s speech to Congress because of the religious leader’s concern for climate change. “I don’t give a flying flock what your personal doctrine is, you do not disrespect the Bishop of Rome,” Colbert said.