As terrible as it was for Stephen Colbert and all others involved when CBS canceled The Late Show last year, that much-maligned decision has certainly led to some late night highlights and lowlights that might not have happened otherwise. One such positive outcome was the recent reunion for the former Strike Force Five quintet of Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Jimmy Fallon. The podcast conversation was filled with fun stories and anecdotes from each host, but the bulk of the focus was on the outgoing Late Show frontman.
In the midst of all the jibber-jabber, Jimmy Kimmel asked Stephen Colbert if there was a ever a guest whose attractiveness was distinct enough to become a distraction, and the Strangers with Candy vet had an answer locked and loaded.
I'll tell you who I did not expect to be wildly attracted to. Like, I didn't know what to do with myself. I did not... I like the person’s work, but I never thought of them as like a bombshell. I could not — I didn't know what to do with my eyeballs when Michelle Williams was on for the first time.
Of all the guests that have sat across from Colbert’s various desks over the past 21 years (including both The Late Show and The Colbert Report), Dawson’s Creek and Fabelmans star Michelle Williams is the Hollywood starlet who turned the normally loquacious wordsmith speechless. He continued:
She sat down across from me and I went, ‘Fuck, what is wrong with my head? I better not look directly at her for this entire interview.’ There was something about her her vibe, her face, everything. [To Seth Meyers] Have you interviewed her? She's sooo beautiful.
This makes me think talking to her about Dying for Sex’s sex scenes would be his anti-Kryptonite, and learning from the source that her oral sex skills have been strengthened due to working with intimacy coordinators. (The first season is streaming via Hulu subscription.)
Williams may hold that top honor, but Colbert shared that he had even stronger reactions in the past over Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz. As he put it:
Who else? Who do I have trouble with? . . . I used to have a Rachel Weisz problem. I have recovered. When Rachel Weisz was on The Daily Show, I would leave the building for fear that I would say something stupid to her. I was afraid I would stand in the hallway and go, [with stammering, high-pitched voice] 'Hi. You were great in The Constant Gardener."
The entire Strike Force Five conversation is a hoot to watch (stream it on YouTube), and I can only hope that this group is able to get together more often after The Late Show is over. Not that the other four won't still have their own late night jobs, but still. Hopes don't have to be logical.
The final Late Show with Stephen Colbert episode will air on CBS on Thursday, May 21, with Jimmy Kimmel taking the night off out of respect.
