Emerson Phillips
Stephen Colbert and James Corden – two of America’s most popular late-night talk show hosts – opened their shows Tuesday night with some choice words about America’s gun culture.
The comments were made in the aftermath of the latest mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
“While we can add our prayers for the dead,” Colbert said to open his show, “there is nothing that could ever be said that can approach the immeasurable grief of those families. But while we’re at it, let’s pray this time our leaders show a modicum of courage in trying to prevent this from ever happening again.”
“Prayers won’t end this, voting might,” Colbert continued. “So when you vote, ask yourself this question: Who running for office has publicly stated that they’re willing to do anything and everything in their power to protect your children from the criminally insane number of guns in America?”
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Corden, 43, was born in the UK and remains a British citizen, though he now lives in Southern California after taking over as host of CBS’ The Late Late Show in 2015.
“I don’t know what has to happen to change things here,” Corden said. “I am constantly shocked by the number of people who must think that this is an okay byproduct to never make meaningful changes to gun laws. And it doesn’t make sense to me. This doesn’t reflect the country that I think America is.”
“Nothing will change,” Corden continued. “Gun money will continue to get in the way of morality,” Corden said. “So, just as I stood here in this studio last week and I talked about a mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, today, heartbreakingly, it is an elementary school in Texas. And I’ll probably be stood here talking again in another week or two about another place.”
