>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY!

MY FIRST GUEST IS A MULTI-PLATINUM AND

GRAMMY-WINNING ARTIST, A BEST-SELLING AUTHOR, AND AN

ACTOR YOU KNOW FROM HIS 12 SEASONS ON "NCIS:

LOS ANGELES."

PLEASE WELCOME LL COOL J!

HELLO, SIR!

HOW ARE YA?

>> MR. COLBERT, HOW YOU DOING, MAN?

>> Stephen: I'M DOING WELL.

I'M SO EXCITED YOU GUYS ARE BACK ON THE AIR.

>> YEAH, IT'S EXCITING.

WE'RE KIND OF FILMING IN, LIKE, A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD, WHICH IS

REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE, IN BETWEEN SHOTS, WE'VE GOT TO, YOU

KNOW, JUMP IN -- >> Stephen: I HEARD THAT.

I WAS GOING TO GET TO IT LATER BUT LET'S DO IT NOW.

FIRST OF ALL, I LOVE THERE ARE OTHER TELEVISION SHOWS ON CBS

COMING ON, THE SEASON FINALLY STARTED.

THAT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD, LIKE PART OF A TEAM AGAIN.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: ALSO I LOVE THE WHOLE SEASON IS BASED IN A WORLD

WHERE WE'VE GOTTEN THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND ARE ON THE OTHER

SIDE.

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE ON SET AND IN CHARACTER AND DOING

IT WHERE WE CAN SEE WHAT IT'S GOING TO FEEL LIKE TO SEE EACH

OTHER AND TOUCH AGAIN.

>> WE'RE NOT FULLY OUT BUT THINGS ARE BETTER.

AS SOON AS THEY SAY CUT, THEY RUN UP ON ME WITH 15 MASKS.

YOU KNOW, I'M WASHING MY HANDS, BEHIND MY EARS, I'M STOWING AWAY

IN THE CLOSET.

WE'VE GOT AN ORANGE SECTION TO BE OFFICIAL EFFICIENT, WE HAVE A

YELLOW SECTION TO BE EFFICIENT.

CBS HAS BEEN REALLY I THINK, YOU KNOW, SMART ABOUT HOW WE HAVE

BEEN DOING IT.

PEOPLE, LIKE, WE HAVE SPECIFIC SECTIONS FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE,

BATHROOMS FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE, IT'S REALLY INTERESTING.

GETTING THROUGH IT.

GOT TO STAY HEALTHY.

AT THE END TO HAVE THE DAY, STAY HEALTHY.

>> Stephen: IT'S BEEN A YEAR SINCE I TALKED TO YOU, AND WHAT

HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO -- YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE KIND OF FELL

INTO A SPIRAL DEPRESSION BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO, SOME

PEOPLE GOT VERY INTO HOBBIES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH THE TIME WHERE YOU HAVEN'T BEEN

WORKING?

>> EATING -- TOO MUCH.

>> Stephen: REALLY?

I'M THE BEFORE PICTURE RIGHT NOW.

BUT, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO THAT, I BASICALLY, YOU KNOW --

YOU KNOW, LOOK, I'VE JUST REALLY BEEN STAYING FOCUSED.

FOR ME, I WEAR A MASK, WASH MY HANDS.

THERE'S A RAGING DEBATE ABOUT MASKS WHICH I TOTALLY DON'T GET

IT, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING.

>> Stephen: I'M NOT SURE IT'S SO MUCH A DEBATE AS AN EMOTIONAL

RESPONSE.

I DON'T THINK THERE'S, LIKE, FACTS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE

DEBATE, LIKE, WEAR A MASK, IT'S AT LEAST NOT GOING TO HURT.

>> THEY'RE PRESENTING FACTS.

BUT MY THING IS, LIKE, OKAY, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YES, YOU KNOW, I

MEAN, THIS IS A LITTLE ROUGH, BUT, YEAH, BULLET IN THE HEAD

WILL KILL YOU BUT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULDN'T WEAR A BULLETPROOF

VEST.

TAKE THE BEST PRECAUTIONS YOU CAN.

YOU WEAR A SEAT BELT.

SOMETHING COULD FALL OUT OF THE SKY AND LAND ON YOUR CAR, BUT

WEAR A SEAT BELT.

I DON'T REALLY GET IT.

THE THING FOR ME THAT'S BEEN CHALLENGING IS TO UNDERSTAND

THAT.

>> Stephen: ELSEWISE IN THESE COVID TIMES, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE

GOING TO STREAMING SERVICES, OBVIOUSLY YOU AND RIABOUT

PARAMOUNT PLUS.

BUT THERE ARE OTHERS.

HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING QUEEN'S GGAMBIT?

>> YES.

THAT'S A SMART CHARACTER, SUCH A REALLY INTERESTING STORY.

YOU KNOW, WATCHING THOSE -- YOU KNOW, JUST HER LIFE UNFOLD --

>> Stephen: DOES IT MAKE YOU WANT TO PLAY CHESS?

>> I GUESS YOU COULD CALL IT PLAYING CHESS.

I KNOW HOW THE PIECES MOVE.

I WOULDN'T EXACTLY CALL IT PLAYING CHESS.

YEAH, I CAN PLAY.

I KNOW HOW THE PIECES MOVE, LET ME SAY THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT I

MEAN.

BUT IT'S NOT LIKE I'M, LIKE, LOOKING TO JOIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

CHESS CLUB AND GET 'EM UP AND RUNNING, SMOKE 'EM OUT AND GET

'EM RUNNING.

YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

>> Stephen: JUST COME TO NEW YORK AND GO DOWN TO

WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK AND JOIN THOSE GUYS.

>> JUST GET HUSTLED RIGHT QUICK, LOSE 20 BUCKS QUICK AND GO HOME

WITH MY TAIL BETWEEN MY LEGS?

>> Stephen: YESTERDAY ACTUALLY WAS THE 35th ANNIVERSARY OF

YOUR DEBUT ALBUM "RADIO," AND HERE YOU ARE 35 YEARS AGO, THIS

IS YOU IN 1985.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: REALLY, JUST CHANGE THAT OUT FOR A BUCKET HAT

AND YOU LOOK THE SAME TO ME.

>> (LAUGHING) THE SAME HUMAN BEING.

>> Stephen: WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO SAY TO THIS GUY ABOUT

THE 35 YEARS COMING AHEAD?

ANY ADVICE?

>> ALL STOCK TIPS.

NO, I'M KIDDING.

YOU KNOW, JUST STICK TO IT.

JUST KEEP BELIEVING IN YOURSELF.

YOU HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE WITH KIDS.

THEY'RE WATCHING.

KEEP BELIEVING IN THE BEAUTY OF YOUR DREAMS, KEEP BELIEVING YOU

CAN TAKE IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL AND KEEP LEARNING.

DON'T JUST BE CURIOUS, BUT SEARCH.

ETH ONE THING TO BE CURIOUS, BUT CURIOSITY CAN BE PASSIVE, BUT

SEARCHING IS ACTIVE.

YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING?

SO CURIOSITY CAN LEAD TO WONDER OR SEARCHING.

SO MY THING IS YOU'VE GOT TO SEARCH, YOU KNOW, FOR WHAT IT IS

THAT YOU WANT TO DO, AND YOU HAVE TO REALLY CONSIDER YOUR

DREAMS, AND THAT'S WHAT I WOULD TELL THEM, YOU KNOW, SEARCH AND

KEEP LEARNING AND KEEP STUDYING AND DON'T UNDERESTIMATE

YOURSELF.

>> Stephen: IT'S ALSO THE 30th ANNIVERSARY OF MOMMA SAID

KNOCK YOU OUT.

IT WAS INSPIRED BY ADVICE FROM YOUR GRANDMOTHER.

WHAT WAS THAT ADVICE AND DO YOU STILL LIVE BY IT?

>> I WAS COMING OFF AN ALBUM THAT WAS CRITICALLY PANNED AND

THE STREETS HAVE A NEGATIVE REACTION TO IT AND I WAS FEELING

DOWN.

MY GRANDMOTHER SAID, YOU'VE GOT TO GET OUT THERE AND KNOCK 'EM

OUT.

YOU'VE GOT TO GET OUT THERE AND KNOCK 'EM OUT AND DO WHAT YOU

NEED TO DO.

I ACTUALLY TOOK THOSE WORDS SHE SAID TO ME AND SAID, MOMMA SAID

KNOCK YOU EOUT.

THAT'S ADVICE ON ANY LEVEL.

IF YOU'RE IN A VALLEY AND TRYING TO GET BACK ON A PEAKER OR IF

YOU'RE TRYING TO EXTEND A PEAK, YOU HAVE TO KNOCK 'EM OUT.

YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE INTESTINAL FORTITUDE AND WHEREWITHAL TO

KEEP GOING EVEN IN ADVERSE AT THIS AND I THINK THAT APPLIES

FROM THE STREETS TO THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, WHATEVER,

LIKE BEING ABLE TO PERSEVERE AND KNOCK 'EM OUT WHEN YOU'RE IN A

TIGHT SPOT IS PART OF WHAT WE NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL AS HUMAN

BEINGS, RIGHT.

>> Stephen: GOOD ADVICE FOR AMERICA RIGHT NOW.

>> ABSOLUTELY, 100%.

>> Stephen: BEFORE I LET YOU GO, I ASKED YOU THIS QUESTION IN

2019 AND 2017.

IT'S ONLY MORE RELEVANT WITH EVERY PASSING YEAR.

"NCIS" IS NAVEL CRIMINAL CRIME --

>> NAVAL CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES.

>> Stephen: IN LOS ANGELES.

HOW COME YOU HAVEN'T CLEANED UP ALL THE NAVAL CRIME IN TEN

YEARS.

>> I WANT TO TAKE TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOT TOTALLY

ERADICATING CRIME FROM THE EARTH.

>> Stephen: NOT TOTALLY, JUST NAVAL CRIME IN LOS ANGELES.

>> WE'VE GOT WORK TO .

DO IT'S LIKE A HEATED DRIVEWAY.

THE SNOW KEEPS MELTING.

WE'RE NOT JUST GETTING THE CRIME AND GETTING IT OUT OF THERE.

IT'S A PROBLEM.

>> Stephen: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, I GUESS.

>> YOU'RE VERY WELCOME.

>> Stephen: "NCIS LOS ANGELES" AIRS SUNDAYS

AT 8:00 P.M. ON CBS.

LL COOL J, EVERYBODY!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH DAVE GROHL.

♪ ♪