While visiting New Zealand, late-night host Stephen Colbert said he misses the day in which he could feel proud of his country.
In a segment of his “Late Show” that featured him in Wellington, Colbert was filmed riding on a “crocodile bike” with actors Lucy Lawless and Bret McKenzie. He asked the two if they were proud of their country. When they said yes, Colbert responded, “I miss that feeling,” as reported by Fox News.
The late-night host is hardly the first celebrity to recently visit a foreign country and express dismay about his/her country of origin. Just last week, actor Patrick Stewart told a French audience he is embarrassed to be British due to 2016’s Brexit vote.
“For the last 35 years, I have been so proud to belong to a country that was part of the European Union,” Stewart said. “And I am embarrassed to stand here in front of you, representing a country that is seeking to break that invaluable connection.”
“I want you to know that well more than half of the population of the United Kingdom wants to stay in the European Union,” Stewart continued. “The Berlin Wall came down. The Soviet Union ended its dominance and control over so many nations. Apartheid was ended in South Africa. The Good Friday Agreement brought together [both] Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The European Union is all part of that movement, and it is a disgrace that individuals in my country are attempting to separate it.”
Colbert’s hatred of President Trump has been readily apparent since Trump’s election, which prompted Colbert to dedicate large swaths of his show to bashing the president. In fairness, the host has been critical of Democrats throughout the election cycle — especially former Vice President Joe Biden, whom he has mocked for his lack of energy and overall tiredness. He also blasted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for their outlandish health care proposals.
“Senator Warren was on here last week and I asked her about her plans for Medicare-for-all and I’m going to ask you the question that I asked her … at the risk of being accused of trumpeting Republican talking points,” Colbert said to Sanders on his program in September. “Is there an increase in taxes on the middle class to pay for Medicare-for-all, or rather, where would the tax burden go to pay for that?”
Colbert’s questioning essentially backed Sanders into a corner, forcing the socialist senator to admit that his health care plan will indeed raise taxes on the middle class.
“Under my legislation … nobody in America will pay any more premiums,” Sanders responded. “No more co-payments, gone. No more out-of-pocket expenses, gone. Nobody will go bankrupt … because of medical bills, that is gone. Nobody in America under my bill will pay more than $200 a year in total for their prescription drugs. Now having said that, is health care free? No, it is not. So what we do is exempt the first $29,000 of a person’s income. … Above that, in a progressive way with the wealthiest people paying the largest percentage, people do pay more in taxes.”