Stephen Colbert Opened Last Night’s The Late Show by Addressing North Carolina’s HB2 Bill

When Stephen Colbert switched networks, it wasn’t a given that he would abandon his irreverent streak in favor of buttoning his Late Show suit to the top button and taking on a major-network sternness. Thankfully for everyone, Colbert hasn’t changed a bit—he’s still a pro at pretending to be serious but gleefully satirizing the very issue he appears to be agreeing with. In this particular cold open from last night’s show, that issue was North Carolina’s HB2, aka the “bathroom bill.”

Colbert mentions the slew of artists, including Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam, who are boycotting the state because of its anti-LGBTQ bill, but says he doesn’t want to deny anyone the right to watch his show. He brings out two men dressed as Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee to illustrate a point about coming together to find common ground. Of course, in a move that almost feels more Conan than Colbert, Lincoln and Lee start making out passionately, with Colbert missing all the double entendres he is setting up. Watch the clever clip above.