OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Late-night liberal host Stephen Colbert announced some tragic news on air Thursday night that had the comedian close to tears.
Cobert bid his audience goodnight before the show ran a short tribute to Amy Cole, the comedian’s longtime aide, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 53. A black card read: “Dedicated to our dear friend Amy Cole, 1970-2024.”
“That’s it for the late show,” Colbert said before pausing several seconds and appearing to hold back his emotions. He then added, “Good night,” and left the set as the tribute played.
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An obituary for Cole, obtained by PEOPLE Magazine, said that she died unexpectedly “after a brief illness.” A representative for “The Late Show” has not commented further on the circumstances of her death.
Colbert and Cole formed a partnership that lasted 16 years, dating back to his tenure as the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” a spinoff he earned after receiving high praise from audiences for his role as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart. According to the obituary, Cole began working in production for Comedy Central as early as 2002, immersing herself in comedy culture alongside Colbert and her contributions to shows like “Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.”
Following the sad news, several friends and associates expressed their remorse over Cole on the X platform, with some hinting that Cole may have died from some form of cancer.
Opus Moreschi, another writer for Colbert, wrote that Cole was a “beacon of light and joy and calm in the swirling chaos of our workplace.”
“I am absolutely gutted that she’s gone. If you love somebody with cancer (or even if you don’t) please consider giving to Amy’s favorite charity in her name,” his post continued.
“Words cannot measure how big a loss Amy Cole is to this world. F*** cancer,” added director Jake Plunkett.
As of Thursday morning, an online donation page established in Cole’s name has received over $25,000, with the commitment to support causes aimed at eradicating childhood cancer, a cause that Plunkett emphasized was particularly close to her heart.
“Those who had the good fortune of knowing Amy experienced her as the ultimate caregiver. Her ability to forge lasting friendships was unparalleled, and her love for travel allowed her to spread her goodwill across the globe,” her obituary reads.
“Amy is survived by her loving parents, Kathy and Warren Cole, her sisters Abby (Mike) Miggins and Libby (Sean) Clancy, her nieces Molly, Cate, Lucy, and Claire Miggins, her nephew Jack Clancy, as well as numerous other surrogate nieces and nephews. Her circle of friends is too numerous to begin to estimate. Once you met Amy, you were a friend for life.”
In June 2022, then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson used the rhetoric of Democrats against them as he spoke about staffers working for The Late Show invading the U.S. Capitol Building.
He began his show with the same type of rhetoric used against the January 6 protesters against the Colbert staff who were arrested for being in the Capitol without permission.
“As we were speaking on the air at that very moment, a team of seven saboteurs had entered the Capitol grounds and then proceeded, as saboteurs do, to breach the Capitol itself. Inside those hallowed grounds, within the very womb of democracy, these wreckers began their hunt for sitting members of Congress. That happened, ladies and gentlemen, and if it sounds shocking to you, it gets more harrowing from there,” he said.
“This was not some spontaneous outbreak of insurrection. No, this was a meticulously planned coup from afar. The group in the Capitol was under the direct control of an extremist called Stephen Colbert, who as a White man, is, by definition a White extremist,” he said.
Tucker Carlson: "It'll be a long time before we can revisit the Capitol Building, before we can forget where we were when democracy shook on its very foundations … before we can recapture the carefree innocence that Stephen Colbert stole from us." pic.twitter.com/xA4UmncBMh
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 21, 2022
