>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, WELCOME BACK TO A SPECIAL LIVE

"LATE SHOW"."

LET'S SAY HELLO TO OUR FRIEND, MR. JON BATISTE.

HEY, JON, HOW ARE YOU?

>> Jon: I'M VERY, VERY GOOD TODAY.

>> Stephen: SO AM I.

SO AM I.

DID YOU GET-- DID YOU GET A CHANCE TO WATCH THE CEREMONIES

TODAY?

>> Jon: YES, I DID.

I JUST FELT IT EVEN BEFORE I TURNED IT ON, THE COUNTENANCE OF

THE NATION HAS BEEN LIFTED.

AND I WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER AND UNITING.

AND WE'RE GOING FORWARD.

>> Stephen: RIGHT.

IT WAS A REAFFIRMATION OF THE BEAUT AND THE MAJESTY OF

DEMOCRACY, AND THE PEOPLE'S WILL.

ESPECIALLY IN THAT SPACE THAT HAD BEEN SO HEARTBREAKINGLY

VIOLATED TWO WEEKS AGO.

IT WAS JUST A LOVELY, CLEANSING MOMENT.

>> Jon: YES, YES.

IT FELT LIKE THE WAY THAT THINGS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE FOR FOUR

YEARS, AND WE FORGOT.

AND THEN WE WERE REMINDED TODAY.

WE TURNED ON THE TV, AND WE SEE IT IN ACTION.

OKAY, NOW WE'RE BACK IN ORDER.

>> Stephen: EVERYONE WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE YOUNG POET LAUREATE,

AMANDA GORMAN.

I UNDERSTAND YOU KNOW HER.

YOU DID A PROJECT WITH HER.

WHAT WAS THAT?

>> Jon: WE DID A DUET AND TRIBUTE TO THE BUILDERS OF THE

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, WHO A LOT OF THEM ARE UNKNOWN, AND EVEN

DIED IN BUILDING THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.

AND SHE WAS AMAZING WHEN WE DID THIS.

IT WAS SO GREAT TO WORK WITH HER, AND TO SEE HER TODAY, I WAS

SO PROUD.

>> Stephen: SHE KILLED IT.

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

I'D LOVE TO HAVE HER ON AND DO SOMETHING WITH YOU.

THAT WOULD BE BEAUTIFUL IF THE TWO OF YOU COULD DO SOMETHING

TOGETHER.

>> Jon: OH, I'D LOVE THAT.

I'LL TELL HER.

SHE'S JUST AMAZING AND I LOVED THAT EVERYBODY GOT TO BE SEEING

HISTORY BEING MADE IN SO MANY WAYS TODAY.

>> Stephen: JON, DO YOU HAVE A LITTLE OCCASIONAL MUSH FOR THE

MOMENT?

>> Jon: OH, YEAH, I LIKE THE WAY GARTH DID HIS THING.

( "AMAZING GRACE ) >> Stephen: THANK YOU, JON.

JON BATISTE, EVERYBODY.

WELL, FOLKS, PRESIDENT BIDEN IS NOW OFFICIALLY IN CHARGE, AND

THIS AFTERNOON, HE HIT THE GROUND PEN FIRST, SIGNING AN

UNPRECEDENTED 17 EXECUTIVE ACTIONS TO DISMANTLE HIS

PREDECESSOR'S LEGACY.

LOOK THAT PHOTO!

AT LAST, THE RESOLUTE DESK IS BEING USED FOR SOMETHING OTHER

THAN A TV TRAY TO HAWK PINTO BEANS.

PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNED ORDERS TO HALT CONSTRUCTION ON THE BORDER

WALL, END THE MUSLIM TRAVEL BAN, AND REVOKE APPROVAL OF THE

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE.■ç HE'S REVERSING EVERYTHING FROM

THE LAST FOUR YEARS, EVEN TAKING EVEN GETTING RID OF THE WARNING

LABEL ON BLEACH THAT SAYS YUM-YUM.

HE IS ALSO SENDING AWE POWERFUL MESSAGE TO THE INTERNATIONAL

COMMUNITY.

BABY, WE GOING THROUGH SOME STUFF.

PLEASE TAKE US BACK.

THE UNITED STATES UPON REJOIN THE PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD AND■ç T

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.

THE THREE THINGS HIS PREDECESSOR HATED MOST: THE WORLD, HEALTH,

AND ORGANIZATION.

HE'S NOT STOPPING AT DAY ONE.

WITH THIS SPIRIT WEEK AT THE WHITE HOUSE, WE'VE GOT THEMES,

BABY.

THURSDAY'S THE PANDEMIC.

FRIDAY'S THE ECONOMY.

AND NEXT WEEK, HE'S DOING CLIMATE ON WEDNESDAY, HEALTH

CARE ON THURSDAY, AND SATURDAY NIGHT, THE PROM THEME IS GOING

TO BE "COMPETENCE UNDER THE SEA."

( LAUGHTER ) ONE ORDER THAT COULD HAVE A

MAJOR IMPACT IS THE ONE BIDEN CALLS "THE 100 DAYS MASKING

CHALLENGE," IN WHICH THE PRESIDENT IS ASKING AMERICANS TO

WEAR MASKS FOR 100 DAYS, WHICH I SUPPORT, BUT IT'S A LITTLE ODD

TO HAVE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT ASKS US TO DO SOMETHING.

LINCOLN DIDN'T SIGN THE EMANCIPATION SUGGESTION.

WHILE HE WAS AT THE RESOLUTE DESK, BIDEN FOUND A SURPRISE

FROM HIS PREDECESSOR.

>> THE PRESIDENT WROTE A VERY GENEROUS LETTER.

BECAUSE IT WAS PRIVATE, I WILL NOT TALK ABOUT IT UNTIL I TALK

TO HIM.

BUT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS GENEROUS.

>> Stephen: WE HERE AT THE "LATE SHOW" HAVE ACQUIRED A COPY

OF THE LETTER.

"DEAR JOE, I'LL GIVE YOU $10 MILLION FOR A PARDON.

ALSO, CAN I BORROW $10 MILLION?" BIDEN CHANGED SOME OF THE DECOR,

SWAPPING THE PREVIOUS PRESIDENT'S PORTRAIT OF ANDREW

JACKSON TO ONE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

THAT'S NICE, REPLACING A NOTORIOUSLY RACIST PRESIDENT

WITH A CELEBRATING FOUNDING FATHER.

PLUS TRADING A JACKSON FOR A BENJAMIN, YOU CLEAR ABOUT 80

BUCKS.

PRESIDENT BIDEN WASN'T THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE A BUSY FIRST DAY.

AS VICE PRESIDENT, KAMALA HARRIS IS PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, AND

TODAY SHE PRESIDED OVER THE CHAMBER, SWEARING IN NEW

SENATORS WHEN THIS HAPPENS.

>> THE CHAIR LAYS BEFORE THE SENATE TWO CERTIFICATES, FOR THE

STATE OF GEORGIA, AND THE CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT TO

FILL THE VACANCY CREATED BY THE RESIGNATION OF FORMER SENATOR

KAMALA D. HARRIS OF CALIFORNIA.

( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )

YEAH, THAT WAS VERY WEIRD.

>> Stephen: IT FEELS LIKE REALITY JUST SUNK IN WHEN SHE

WAS READING THAT.

"OH, THERE'S A VACANCY?

I WONDER WHO LEFT?

KAMALA HARRIS OF CALIFORNIA?

I'M THAT PERSON.

WELL, SOMEBODY SHOULD REALLY TELL THE VICE PRESIDENT.

WHAT!

LAUGH" BIDEN'S FIRST DAY CULMIN ANTI-ED IN A STAR-STUDDED

TELEVISION EVENT, CELEBRATING AMERICA, FEATURING JON BON VOFY,

DEMI LOVATO AND FOOOFIGHTERS.

>> THERE IS ONLY ONE THUNG I CAN SAY ABOUT THE WAR IN VIETNAM.

>> Stephen: SORRY, SORRY.

THAT'S THE MEMORIAL.

WRONG HANKS.

JIM?

THERE'S HANKS IN HIS MOST CHALLENGING ROLE YET AS A HIT

MAN ABOUT TO STRANGLE THE STATUE OF LINCOLN.

THE NIGHT HAD EVERYTHING-- SPEECHES FROM THE NEW PRESIDENT,

THE NEW VICE PRESIDENT, THE OLD PRESIDENTS.

AND TO CLOSE OUT THE EVENING IN A STUNNING DISPLAY OF PATRIOTISM

AND LITERALISM, THEY SHOT FIREWORKS AS KATY PERRY SANG

"FIRE WORK."

I'M GLAD THEY DIDN'T GO WITH THE ORIGINAL PLAN-- HAVING HER SING

"ROAR" AS THEY RELEASED A PACK OF LIONS.

DURING THE FIREWORKS DISPLAY, SO LARGE I BELIEVE IT VIOLATED THE

PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD, I FELT HOPEFUL THINGS WILL GET BETTER.

YES, THERE IS STILL A PANDEMIC AND RACISM.

AND I BET DOLLARS TO DONUTS ARE THERE ARE ACTUALLY SEDITIONISTS

IN CONGRESS, BUT TONIGHT, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,

STOOD ON THE BALCONY OF THE WHITE HOUSE AND WORE A MASK.

BABY STEPS.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH THE COHOSTS OF "POD SAVE AMERICA."