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Humor

Anderson Cooper can't stop giggling telling Colbert about 'embarrassing' childhood interest

"I can't even bring myself to say it. It's so lame."

YouTube, CBS

Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen discuss their childhoods on Colbert.

When it comes to reporting the news, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper is usually quite serious. After decades of reporting on everything from hurricanes to elections to wars, Cooper has earned 18 Emmys and two Peabody Awards.

But if you get so much as a thimble of alcohol in him (as his friend and New Years Eve co-host Andy Cohen likes to do)—Anderson is known to get what can only be described as a big old case of the giggles.

@colbertlateshow

When you have a laugh attack with your bestie. 😂 Tag the @andycohen to your #AndersonCooper! #Colbert

On a recent episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Cooper and Cohen appear by each other's sides. Cooper says, "I was a very strange kid, clearly." But when Cooper begins to attempt to share what he was interested in as a child, he starts laughing in his trademark high-pitched, quick-fire giggle. Cohen pipes in with "He's drunk," which Cooper denies. Colbert tries to get the train back on the tracks and asks, "What were you interested in?" And now all bets are off. Cooper literally can't stop laughing, and the more he laughs, the more the audience laughs.

Again, Cohen says, "He's drunk, he's gone. One shot!" (Which may or may not have been true.) Colbert continues asking for the answer, and finally Anderson can get four words out. "I was interested in…" and again, a fit of laughter overwhelms him. Trying his best, he says, "I can't even bring myself to say it. I was…" and then again–uncontrollable laughter.

Anderson Cooper, laughing fits, giggle fits, CNNAnderson Cooper laughs.Giphy

Colbert finally asks, "What as a child could you have possibly been so interested in that would make you giggle?" Fighting back tears of joy, Cooper says, "It's so lame." And the laughter returns. He finally pulls himself together, red-faced and amped up, and states, "As a child, I was interested in 'The Zulu Wars.'" (He is referring to the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom.) He can't get the word "Wars" out before bursting back into the giggles, and as Cohen says, "What?" and Colbert repeats, "Zulu Wars," Cooper has now physically slid down in his seat, arms crossed, laughter dialed up to 11.

Now Colbert knows how to have fun with it. He eggs him on, asking, "Like the Battle of Rorke's Drift? And Isandlwana and stuff like that?" To which Cooper laughs, nods, and says, "Yes," and then is immediately impressed by Colbert's knowledge on the topic.

What led up to that moment was equally charming, as Colbert pushed Cohen and Cooper to discuss what they were like as kids.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com, CBS

It's pretty adorable to see anyone laugh that hard, but what's even quirkier is the embarrassment Cooper seemed to feel about his childhood interest. He's not alone. Kids and teens can be into the darndest things for the most random of reasons. (At 14, I was really into Jungian psychology and made everyone discuss it ad nauseum.)

On a Reddit thread, someone asks, "What were your weird or bizarre childhood obsessions/interests?" And the comments most definitely didn't disappoint. The OP continues, "Mine were buoys. Yeah, buoys. My uncle was in the Coast Guard at the time (I was about 7), and he arranged a visit for me and my dad to go down to a shipyard. I remember spending hours wandering around these massive iron buoys."

A few people answered the more typical "dinosaurs" and "sharks." But this Redditor's brother had a more unique interest: "My brother was completely and utterly obsessed with those National Emergency Broadcast tests. Mainly just the electronic beeps it would make in the beginning. He would sit on YouTube and listen to them for hours on end. Whenever they came on TV, he would scream for everyone to be quiet and would turn on every single TV in the house. The sound now creeps me out pretty bad."

FCC, television, emergency broadcast system, testing, broadcastEmergency Broadcast System at KPTV Portland tests in 1988.en.m.wikipedia.org

Now this one is even stranger: ""Paths. I can't really explain it. Especially two paths near each other." (That sounds like more of a spiritual pursuit than an interest, but cool nonetheless.)

This commenter bravely shares what was less of an interest and perhaps more of a strange compulsion: "I've heard that I used to bite the heads off Barbie dolls at my daycare."

Had that been the case for Cooper, I'm not sure he'd ever have gotten through the sentence without complete laughter-implosion.


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Joy

Boyz II Men updated 'I'll Make Love to You’ for married couples and it's both funny and true

"I'll make love to you, or we can just watch YouTube.”

via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube

Boyz II Men sing an updated version of "I'll Make Love to You."

Boyz II Men’s classic 1994 love song “I’ll Make Love to You” was one of the most popular make-out songs of the ‘90s. But now, the Gen Xers who got down to it back then are a bit older and have probably settled down.

Life in your 40s and 50s has more to do with handling household chores and parenting responsibilities than making love “all through the night,” as Boyz II Men originally sang nearly 30 years ago. Studies show that the average married couple in their 40s and 50s has sex around once a week, whereas those in their 20s and 30s have it twice as often.

The threesome had some fun with the passing of time on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Valentine’s Day when they debuted an updated version of “I’ll Make Love to You” that reframes the song for couples who’ve been married for the past 15 years. “I’ll Make Love to You (But We Don’t Have To)” features three members of the Philadelphia group’s classic lineup, Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, Wanyá Morris and a cameo from Colbert himself.

Back in the group's heyday in the ‘90s, it had four members, but unfortunately, bass singer Michael McCary left the group in 2003 after being diagnosed with muscular sclerosis.

Here are the lyrics to “I’ll Make Love to You (But We Don’t Have To)”:

Close the door, wash this dish

I'll put all the forks away

It's our 15th Valentine's Day

We're gonna celebrate once this house is clean

Pour some wine in my favorite coffee mug

Are the kids finally asleep?

Said we'd do it once a week

But we don't have to, babe

Let's see what's on TV

I’ll make love to you if you want me to

Unless you’re too tired, because I’m tired, too

I’ll make love to you, or we can just watch YouTube and

I'll text you some memes while I'm next to you

Girl, relax; there's no rush

Let's just go to Puzzle-town

You need help with 19-down

Oh, a female sheep

Baby, you know that's ewe

Pick up clothes from the floor

I'll be sure to check Brooklyn's math

Then we'll both get in the bath

But not at the same time; it's very uncomfortable

I’ll make love to you in a day or two

How 'bout a raincheck

Last time I threw out my neck

Do you want me to paint the living room?

I keep saying I will, but I never do

I know your job got you stressed

And this whole house is a mess

Still, tonight, let's say yes

To doing it or we could watch "NCIS"

I’ll make love to you, coz my love is true

I'll make sure you know, ok, your eyes are closed

Alright, that's some drool, and you're snoring, too

Maybe let's try again in a week or two


This article originally appeared on 2.15.23

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Pop Culture

Keanu Reeves gets emotional while sharing how much 'The Matrix' means to him

Reeves shared his favorite memories of each of his biggest films. When he got to 'The Matrix,' there was a noticeable change.

Raph_PH/Wikipedia, Photo by Shannon Kunkle on Unsplash

“’The Matrix’ changed my life."

Keanu Reeves might have broken into the industry through “Bill and Ted,” and was an established '90s action actor thanks to films like “Speed” and “Point Break.” But his iconic role as Neo in “The Matrix” truly catapulted him into stardom.

For many, “The Matrix” was both a thrilling cinematic escape and a powerful spiritual experience—exploring what it means to be human in the digital age, all while kicking ass in cool leather trench coats. And Reeves was the hero that took us on that journey.

Of course, he would go on to be the center of another legendary franchise with “John Wick” and would become a legend off-camera as a genuinely compassionate and generous person. But to think—we might have not had any of it had Reeves never taken that red pill.

It turns out that not even Reeves himself takes that moment in his life for granted.

During a recent interview with Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show,” the host mentioned several of Reeves’ movies that were celebrating an anniversary this year — “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” 35; “Point Break,” 33; “Speed,” 30; “The Matrix,” 25; and “John Wick,” 10.

Colbert then asked Reeves to name a fond memory from each of these iconic movies in a lightning-round style. Reeves was able to get out simple answers like “friendship” for “Bill and Ted” and “the genius of Catherine Bigelow” for “Point Break,” but when he got to “The Matrix,” there was a palpable, emotional pause.

After about twenty seconds, Reeves replied, “’The Matrix’ changed my life. And then, over these years, it’s changed so many other people’s lives in really positive and great ways.”

Gathering himself, he concluded, “As an artist, you hope for that when you get to do a film or tell a story…it’s the best.”

It was so well said that Colbert didn’t bother trying to get a memory for “John Wick” but instead shook his hand and ended the segment.

Watch:

"The Matrix" Changed My Life - Keanu Reeves Shares Fond Memories Of His Most Iconic Filmswww.youtube.com

Down in the comments, people were once again moved by Reeves’ heartfelt authenticity.

“Keanu's response to the Matrix question was so profound.”

“That really got me. So moving. As for the movie itself, to this day, The Matrix is still the most mind-blowing experience I've ever had in a theatre!”

“The answer, his face, his body language, how he changed his emotion so fast just gave me chills and I cried. He knows the truth.”

“What a real dude. There's a reason everyone loves him.”

“Do we all simply want to burst into tears when he emotionally recounts how The Matrix has touched people?”

“To this day, The Matrix remains my favorite movie of all time. Full stop. It's amazing to see him get so emotional when he talks about it.”

“He almost made me cry, that was a raw emotional sincere comment he made - just beautiful.”

“The Academy Awards will honor Keanu Reeves one day with a lifetime achievement award. No doubt. The Matrix is the best sci-fi movie ever made and Keanu was brilliant in the role. A beautiful human being. I always support his work. I wish him the best this world offers.”

By the way, if all this Matrix nostalgia has got you wishing you could see it on the big screen again, you’re in luck! AMC will be presenting a special anniversary screening of it in September.

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Identity

Comedian Tig Notaro's 7-year-old son had a beautiful reaction to learning his moms are gay

“I was so stunned because we’ve lived together almost eight years, and I’ve been gay the whole time — even prior!”

via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube

Comedian Tig Notaro on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

June is LGBTQ Pride Month, a time for celebration for those in the community and their allies. People celebrate the occasion with pride parades, fly the pride flag, and commemorate special events in the gay rights movement, such as the Stonewall Uprising. But so far this month, for comedian Tig Notaro, things have been “a little weird.”

She explained the funny situation she and her wife, actor Stephanie Allynne, recently dealt with on the June 6 episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

“Pride month, I’ll be honest, it’s been a little weird. My wife and I found out recently that our sons didn’t know we were gay. They will be 8 this month,” Notaro told Colbert. "Their school is six minutes away from our house, and at minute three we were in the front seat of the car talking about something about gay. Our son Finn leans forward and says, ‘You’re gay?’”

“I was so stunned because we’ve lived together almost eight years, and I’ve been gay the whole time — even prior!” Notaro joked. “So, I was like, ‘Yes! We are.’ I was so shocked.”

@colbertlateshow

#TigNotaro’s sons didn’t realize their moms were gay, but they jumped on board quickly! #Colbert

The couple felt they had to address the big revelation before the kids got to school, but they didn’t have much time. “We’re like three minutes now from the school, and I start explaining what gay is,” she continued. As she explained what it meant to be gay, she felt a little awkward coming out to her sons.

"And then while I was explaining it, I started getting insecure, thinking, 'What if he doesn’t like this?'” she worried. “So, she asked her sons to share their feelings on the sensitive issue. “What do you think about what I just told you?” Notaro asked them.

Her son Finn gave the most beautiful response.

“Oh, I love my family,” he said.

The couple were shocked that their kids had no idea what gay meant, even though their mothers were lesbians. “We drop them off at school and we’re like, ‘bye!’ and we truly drove off going like half-a-mile-an-hour, like ‘How on earth do our kids not know we’re gay?’ Because, dare I say, we’re also an iconic gay couple,” Notaro joked.

Allynne and Notaro have been married for over eight and a half years, tying the knot on October 24, 2015, in Notaro’s hometown of Pass Christian, Mississippi. It wasn’t long after that they became parents. On June 26, 2016, their sons, Max and Finn, were born by surrogate.

When the couple first met, it was challenging for Allyne, who wasn’t sure how to label her sexuality. "Everything about her felt right," she told People. "I knew I liked her, I knew I cared about her and that sent me into an identity crisis spiral. I felt the need to label myself. Was I gay? Was I bi? Was I still straight? Was I ever straight?"

"It took me six months to realize those labels were ridiculous. Once I was able to own my true feelings it was all easy and beautiful. I now don’t believe in the labels,” she continued.

Now, things have come full circle and the couple are explaining to their kids what it means to be gay. “I realized that even though there’s pictures of our wedding day and they know they have two moms, that doesn’t mean they know what gay is,” Notaro told Colbert.

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