Earlier this week, Stephen Colbert announced the next season of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be its last. It will end in May 2026. Colbert is not being replaced. The Late Show will simply cease to exist. Do I think this sudden announcement is political?

Yes I do.

As you likely know, Trump sued CBS for $16 million over the way Sixty Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. The law suit was frivolous and would have easily won in court—and would surely have been less expensive. However, CBS was in the midst of a merger with Skydance which would have to be approved by the FCC. Since the FCC chairman is a Trump crony, the merger would likely have been denied. So CBS agreed to to pay Trump $16 million in order to buy his favor. After all, $16 million is a drop in the bucket compared to the $8 billion CBS would acquire from the merger.

The law suit was settled last week, the merger approved, and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert was abruptly cancelled. To honor the host, here’s a post that’s been in my drafts for a while.

Colbert, has a list of 15 “scientifically cultivated” questions he asks his most famous guests in order to “truly know them..” Guests such as Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, Ringo Starr, Willy Nelson—yep, that type of famous. One of my favorites featured Ryan Gosling, hence his featured photo above.

But what about us non-famous or future-famous people? (I plan to be future-famous after my film noir gay mystery romance screenplay wins an Oscar.) You can be the first to “truly know” me. The questionert consists of 15 questions which I’ve divided in half. That makes it ideal for my Sunday 7, with one question left over as a bonus.

Sunday 7: the Colbert Questionert, Part 1

1. Best Sandwich?
   The consensus is usually the BLT, because who doesn’t love bacon? My choice is pork-adjacent, but it’s a bit controversial because Stephen doesn’t consider it a sandwich: the hot dog. I disagree. After all, it is a piece of (questionable) meat surrounded by bread.
   My second choice is the B—a BLT without the L and T. Yes, it’s just bacon on toast but it’s a bacony/toasty taste sensation!
2. What’s the one thing you own that you should really throw out?
   Just ONE thing? Clothes, cat-destroyed furniture, excess yarn. Well ,maybe not the latter. I did get rid of a broken set of dishes, so I’m making progress.
3. What’s the scariest animal?
   My initial thought was scorpion. But Ryan Gosling hss the ultimate answer—the human.
4. Apples or oranges?
   Apples. Stephen says that’s the correct answer because you can put peanut butter on an apple. Also, they’re easier to peel… in that you don’t have to.
5. Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?
   Nope. I had two chances but backed down both times Both involved trips to NYC to see a play (and do other NYC things). The first was in the 80’s when a friend and I went to a Noel Coward comedy at the Theater in the Round. (Sadly, I don’t remember the name. of the play.) It starred Blythe Danner, the late Raul Julia, and Frank Converse. Afterwards, my friend and I were lolling around the outside the theater when Frank Converse came out the door. My friend walked over got his autograph. Yet even though I’ve always like him and he was the reason I wanted to see the play, I was too shy to approach him.
   The other was Benjamin Bratt after he left Law & Order. I saw him with two friends when he starred in an Off-Broadway play with Julianna Marguelis. At one friend’s request, he met with us after the show. While the two others peppered him with questions, gave him gifts, and asked for his autograph, I just stood there… Which was stupid because I ran the fan website where we’d all met, first online and then in person .
6. What do you think happens when we die?
   All of our worries and problems disappear. I’d also like to think I’m with love ones I’ve lost, including several I’d meet at the Rainbow Bridge.
7. Favorite action movie?
   Does How to Train Your Dragon count? No? Then Star Wars. Not Star Wars: Episode 4 A New Hope, Nope. Just Star Wars—the one without a number. The original movie that was shown in theaters. I saw it 3 times. I dislike the addition of Jabba the Hutt and the other scenes added simply because special FX had improved from 1975 to 1978. What can I say, I’m a purist.

Bonus question : What number [is Stephen] thinking of?
The most common answer is 7, although some answers have been in the 100s or even 1000s. In ALL cases, the answer is “No.”
My answer would be the square root of -1. It’s an imaginary number. It doesn’t exist because any negative number times itself always generates a positive number. I.e., -4 x -4 = 16, or -1 x -1 = 1. It’s a mathematical impossibility.

People I failed to get autographs of (Frank Converse & Benjamin Bratt):

How would you answer the Colbert Questionert?