TV funnyman Stephen Colbert showcased Colorado Congressman Jared Polis of Boulder during Monday night’s “Colbert Report” on Comedy Central.
After improper-for-prime-time ribbing about Boulder’s Celestial Seasonings tea bags, Polis’ previous last name, Schutz (“That’s great on a campaign poster . . . ‘Schutz for brains.’ “), and Polis’ homosexuality, the mock-conservative hazed the Democratic freshman into funneling a Coors Light while the host chanted a bleeped-out fraternity taunt.
“It’s important that no one take themselves too seriously,” Polis said in a statement to 9News today. “Colbert’s comedic work helps humanize Congress and is a great way to reach an audience that isn’t always engaged in civic debate. I’ve been a long time fan of Colbert and was honored to go on his show.”
Colbert’s “Know a District” segment first visited “The Fightin’ Second” in November 2005, when current Sen. Mark Udall was its representative. Colbert called Monday’s do-over “Even Better-er Know a District.”
He confused Jared Polis with Subway sandwich pitchman Jared Fogle for yuks, but other gaffes were not planned, or at least not funny. His description of the district said it’s home to “vibrant wildlife, like grizzly bears . . . .”
Grizzlies haven’t been common in Colorado for a century, nor can Boulder be seen from the ski slopes at Vail 115 miles away, as the research-challenged comic declared.
