Stephen Colbert Dissects Anthony Scaramucci’s ‘New Yorker’ Interview
Stephen Colbert gave new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci a memorable welcome to the late-night circuit Thursday with a monologue that roasted the man known among political circles as the Mooch.
“I am feeling blessed tonight,” a triumphant Colbert told the audience before he dived into Scaramucci’s viral, unhinged New Yorker interview. “I was worried when Sean Spicer left that the communications office at the White House would lose some flavor. Little did I know, he was going to be replaced by a guy who serves up some very spicy quotes.”
“As much as I’ve enjoyed the things that Scaramucci has said so far in his one week on the job, we got an incredible taste of unfiltered Mooch today … Be warned, if you are put off by foul language, the Mooch thinks you should mooch yourself in the head,” he continued. “I want to give a quick warning to the CBS censors: you guys are going to have to break out the emergency extra bleeps for this one.”
Colbert then dove into the New Yorker interview, in which Scaramucci unleashed his profane thoughts on many things, including White House leaks and his new coworkers, especially Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus. (Both Bannon and Priebus were reportedly not in support of Trump’s appointment; when former White House press secretary Spicer stepped down from his position last week, he cited Scaramucci’s appointment as one of the primary catalysts.)
In the interview, Scaramucci told New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza of Bannon, “I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m not trying to suck my own cock. I’m not trying to build my own brand off the fucking strength of the president. I’m here to serve the country.”
“Look, if Bannon could do that, he’d never leave the White House,” Colbert quipped Thursday. “Though I gotta say, we never see him anymore. Good for you, Steve.”
Elsewhere on late night, Trevor Noah pointed out that Scaramucci is making up for lost time by creating his own scandal in the first week of his working at the White House. Of his calling Priebus a “paranoid schizophrenic,” Noah was sympathetic.
“Anyone working for Donald Trump would get that way,” the Daily Show host said. “It’s like being Hannibal Lecter’s chef. It’s only a matter of time.”