LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS A TONY AND EMMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR YOU

KNOW FROM "BOMBSHELL," "THE CROWN," "TERMS OF ENDEARMENT,"

AND JUST SO MUCH MORE.

PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW" MY FRIEND AND YOURS, JOHN

LITHGOW.

>> IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> Stephen: IT'S ALWAYS LOVELY TO SEE YOU.

SOME GUESTS ARE LIKE A VACATION.

THERE'S NO EFFORT.

IT'S JUST SITTING DOWN AND CHATTING WITH SOMEONE.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

>> BUT I WANT YOU ON YOUR GAME.

>> Stephen: SORRY, LET ME GET A LITTLE COFFEE.

PROFESSIONAL SHOW BUSINESS RIGHT NOW.

BEFORE-- BEFORE WE GET ANY FURTHER, AS I SAID IN YOUR

INTRO, I NAMED THREE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT YOU HAD DONE AT

RANDOM.

YOU HAVE SO MANY THINGS ON YOUR C.V. TO PICK FROM.

WHAT WOULD YOU PICK FOR YOUR INTRO?

WHAT WORKS OF YOURS-- WHAT ROLES YOU'VE PLAYED, WHAT SHOWS YOU'VE

BEEN IN WOULD YOU SAY, "THOSE ARE THE DEFINITIVE LITHGOW

ROLES?

>> YOU KNOW, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT MY PERFORMANCE OF THE

CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE OF NEWT GINGRICH ON "THE COLBERT REPORT"

SOME YEARS AGO.

THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE MY FINEST PERFORMANCE EVER.

REMEMBER THAT NIGHT?

>> Stephen: I URGE EVERYONE TO GO TO WHATEVER WEB SITE THEY'VE

STORED THAT STUFF ON THESE DAYS, AND FIND IT.

LITHGOW-GINGRICH.

TRULY.

>> IT HOLDS UP.

IT HOLDS UP.

AND I'M STOPPED THREE, FOUR TIMES ON EVERY BLOCK RECALLING

THAT PERFORMANCE.

>> Stephen: WELL, HOW ABOUT THIS?

SO THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD PICK, AND I DON'T BLAME YOU.

WHAT DO PEOPLE-- LIKE, WHEN PEOPLE WALK DOWN THE STREET AND

YOU REALIZE OH, THEY RECOGNIZE YOU AND YOU KNOW THEY'RE ABOUT

TO COME OVER TO YOU AND SAY I LOVE "X," "Y," OR "Z" WHAT

YOU'VE DONE.

WHAT DO THEY USUALLY PICK?

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S USUALLY THE MOST RECENT.

RECENTLY IT'S BEEN A LOT OF "THE CROWN," AND "BOMBSHELL."

"THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN" AND "DEXTER."

IF SOMEONE COMES UP TO ME WITH A HAMMER AND WANTS ME TO AUTOGRAPH

IT, I KNOW THEY'RE BIG "DEXTER" FANS.

>> Stephen: YOU KNOW TO GET AWAY QUICKLY.

>> NO, I DUTIFULLY SIGN.

>> Stephen: THAT'S NICE.

>> THERE ARE A LOT OF AUTOGRAPHED HAMMERS OUT THERE.

>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND-- AND I WAS-- THIS IS ACTUALLY KIND OF

A NICE-- NICE THING IS THAT I FOUND OUT THAT YOU'RE MISTAKEN

FOR ANOTHER GREAT PERFORMER SOMETIMES.

WHO IS THAT?

>> YOU KNOW, YES.

DON CLEASE.

I WISH I HAD A NICKEL FOR EVERY TIME.

AND JON APPEARED ON "THIRD ROCK FROM THE SON" WITH US, AS MY

DOPPELGANGER.

SO IT HAPPENS.

THAT'S EXPLAINABLE.

>> Stephen: IT'S A COMPLIMENT.

>> WHEN THEY ASK FOR MY AUTOGRAPH, I DUTIFULLY SIGN.

>> Stephen: YOU SIGN JOHN CLEASE?

>> YOU KNOW, WHAT ELSE AM I GOING TO SIGN, STEPHEN.

>> Stephen: TO YOU AFFECT A BRITISH ACCENT FOR THIS?

>> NO, IF I HAVE TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING, IT PROLONGS THE

INTERACTION.

SO-- ANYWAY, I'M A HUGE FAN OF JOHN CLEASE.

SO I TAKE IT AS AN ENORMOUS COMPLIMENT.

>> Stephen: YOU KNOW, I WANT TO HAVE DIFFERENT WITH YOU,

LITHGOW.

WE'VE GOT TO HAVE DINNER.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT FOR MANY YEARS.

>> WE HAVE.

>> Stephen: MY WIFE AND YOUR WIFE AND ALL GO TO DINNER.

I HAD DINNER WITH CLEASE, RCENTLY.

>> DID YOU.

>> Stephen: IT WAS A HUGE THRILL FOR ME.

A LOVELY GUY.

H BOUGHT A VERY EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF WHITE WINE, AND IT WAS

VERY LOVELY, AND NOW I HAVE TO COMPARE DINNER.

I HAVE TO COMPARE MY CLEASES.

>> YOU MIGHT GET CONFUSED.

WE'RE OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR EACH OTHER.

>> Stephen: YOU HAVE A NEW BOOK HERE.

"TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A CROWN."

VERSES FOR A DESPOTIC AGE.

IT CAME OUT YESTERDAY.

YOU WROTE IT AND ILLUSTRATED.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST START WRITING POETRY?

>> OH, I-- AS A MATTER OF FACT, I-- BY AN AMAZING COINCIDENCE,

JUST LIKE A WEEK OR TWO AGO, LIKE, A BEST FRIEND OF MY OLDER

SISTER, TWO YEARS OLDER THAN I, A WOMAN NAMED JESSICA ANDREWS.

SHE SENT ME, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, A PHOTOCOPY OF A PAGE

FROM HER AUTOGRAPH BOOK FROM 1955, WHICH I HAD SIGNED FOR

HER.

AND JUST FOR THE OCCASION -- >> Stephen: SHE KNEW-- SHE

KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE SO GREAT BACK THEN SHE ASKED YOU TO

SIGN HER AUTOGRAPH BOOK.

>> SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO.

>> Stephen: DID YOU SIGN IT JOHN CLEASE?

>> YOU KNOW, I DNGT THINK OF IT AT THE TIME.

I WAS NINE YEARS OLD.

I WROTE, "JESSICA, COKE AND BOTTLES, JELLY AND JARS, FACES

LIKE YOURS COME FROM MARS.

JOHN LITHGOW."

TURNS OUT, THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF MY CAREER AS A

POEET.

THIS IS A CLASSIC DOCUMENT.

>> Stephen: NICELY DONE.

THAT'S A COLLECTOR'S ITEM.

>> AND NOT A BAD POEM, I MIGHT ADD.

>> Stephen: NOT AT ALL.

NOW, YOU-- YOU DID SOMETHING THAT VERY FEW AUTHORS DO.

I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT A CLIP OF YOUR BOOK.

AND I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT WORKS.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE A CLIP OF THE BOOK?

>> YOU KNOW, NOT MANY AUTHORS HAVE A CLIP OF THEIR BOOK, BUT

THIS IS THE COVID ERA.

YOU CAN'T DO A BOOK TOUR.

SO I-- A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, I THOUGHT OF A BRIGHT IDEA.

I CALLED ON MY DIRECTOR FRIEND TIM VAN PATTEN.

HE-- HE CALLED UP THESE THREE BRILLIANT YOUNG GUYS HE WORKS

WITH AND CREATED SOMETHING CALLED TRYPTIC STUDIO.

I CALLED UP 19 OF MY ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC ACTOR FRIENDS, AND A

COUPLE OF POLITICO JOURNALISTS, TOO, EVEN AN EPIDEMIOLOGIST.

I ASKED THEM TO RECORD A SINGLE POEM OF MINE, JUST AS WE'RE

RECORDING NOW, IN THEIR LIVING ROOM, ON THEIR iPHONE, AND

SEND THEM IN TO THESE CRYPTIC STUDIO GUYS.

AMONG ALL OF US WE HAVE SPUN TOGETHER 21 LITTLE TWO-MINUTE

VIDEOS OF MY POEMS, INCLUDING MY ILLUSTRATIONS BROUGHT TO LIFE

WITH VERY SIMPLE ANIMATION.

AND WE'RE ROLLING THEM OUT, LIKE, ONCE EVERY FOUR, FIVE

DAYS.

>> Stephen: WHAT'S THE CLIP WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE?

>> YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE THE GREAT MERYL STREEP READING FROM MY

POEM "THE TOREYS" OR "THE TIGER KING."

IT'S AN ALLEGORY OF DONALD TRUMP.

YOU'LL SEE.

>> HAVING CRAVE EDGE FAILED TO DERAIL OR UNHORSE HIM, THE

TOREYS WERE FINALLY FORCED TO ENDORSE HIM.

DESPITE HOW HE MADE THEM ALL TREMBLE AND COWER, THEY DECIDED

AT LAST THEY WOULD RIDE HIM TO POWER.

CIVILLY JUSTICE AND REASON TOOK WING AS DUMPTY WAS CROWNED THE

SUPREME TIGER KING.

THEN WITH MURDEROUS APPETITE SAVAGE AND HEARTY, HE ATE EVERY

SOUL IN THE GRAND TOREY PARTY.

>> PRETTY COOL, RIGHT?

>> Stephen: THAT IS FANTASTIC.

THAT IS FANTASTIC.

NOT EVERYBODY CAN CALL IN A FAVOR FROM MERYL STREEP.

NICELY DONE.

>> MERRILL AND SAM CLOSE, AND SAM JACKSON, WHOOPIE GOLDBERG.

IT'S THIS MARVELOUS BUNCH OF PEOPLE.

>> Stephen: DID YOU NOT-- DID YOU NOT-- I DIDN'T-- I MUST HAVE

GOTTEN GOTTEN LOST IN THE E-MAIL.

I NEVER GOT THE REQUEST.

>> YOU WERE-- THIS IS GOSPEL TRUTH.

YOU WERE ON OUR LIST, BUT I WAS A LITTLE AFRAID YOU WOULD BE

ANXIOUS ABOUT CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

( LAUGHS ) I DON'T KNOW WHY.

>> Stephen: I'M SUCH A STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE PRESIDENT.

I UNDERSTAND.

THANK YOU FOR BEING SO SENSITIVE.

I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE BEEN DOING SOMETHING DURING QUARANTINE.

YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING AT SOMETHING YOU CAN ALREADY DO BUT

HAVE BECOME THE MASTER OF IT.

SPEED SKETCHING.

WHAT IS SPEED SKETCHING?

>> YOU KNOW, WELL, IT'S SIMPLY HITTING VIDEO-- THE LITTLE VIDEO

BUTTON, STOP-ACTION BUTTON ON YOUR-- OH, GOD!

ON YOUR iPHONE.

AND IT SPEEDS THINGS UP.

BUT JUST FOR YOU, I BROUGHT ALONG PROPS AND SHOW-AND-TELL

EQUIPMENT.

>> Stephen: OKAY.

>> I DECIDED TO DO A SPEED DRAWING OF STEPHEN COLBERT.

>> Stephen: IS THAT PAD BLANK RIGHT NOW?

>> IT'S BLANK NOW, BUT I'M GOING TO DRAW YOU.

THIS PREARRANGED BY YOUR WONDERFUL...

WATCH THIS.

I'M NOT EVEN USING...

iPHONE TECHNOLOGY.

OKAY...

THIS IS MY LITTLE GIFT TO YOU.

NOT BAD, HUH?

>> Stephen: NOT BAD AT ALL.

>> OKAY, THERE YOU GO.

HOW MANY TIMESES HAVE YOU BEEN PORTRAYED BY-- IN PEN AND INK ON

YOUR SHOW?

>> Stephen: I'M HONORED.

I'M HONORED.

AND I NEED TO GET A SIGNED COPY OF THIS, TOO, IF YOU DON'T MIND,

JOHN.

>> IT'S ALREADY ON THE WAY.

>> IT IS.

>> THERE AGAIN, GOSPEL TRUTH.

>> Stephen: AND DINNER?

>> YOU KNOW, AND DINNER.

EVY AND MARY.

>> Stephen: AND NEXT TIME YOU'RE IN NEW YORK BECAUSE I

DON'T COME TO LOS ANGELES.

>> THAT SHOULD BE ABOUT FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.

THESE DAYS, I CAN'T COME TO NEW YORK.

I'LL GET THERE, I'LL GET THERE.

>> Stephen: >> Stephen: HIS NEW BOOK,

"TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A CROWN," IS AVAILABLE NOW.

MR. JOHN LITHGOW, EVERYBODY!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH AUTHOR JONATHAN ALTER.

STICK AROUND.