Masked Stephen Colbert audience mocked: ‘Their brains are broken’

This week, the CBS studio audience of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was completely disguised, an unusual level of precaution that drew ridicule on social media.

During a taping of the late night show on Tuesday, Colbert poked fun at the Biden administration’s claim that it plans to end the federal state of emergency first introduced at the start of the COVID pandemic.

“Take this, COVID, we beat you!” Colbert said during his monologue in response to the news. “Put it up your nose and twist it five times!”

Colbert, who used his platform to lash out at critics of mitigation measures such as vaccinations, lockdowns and mandatory masks, noted that his studio’s entire audience was wearing masks.

“I wish you could see the smiles on the faces of my audience. And I’d like to too. Because they are still wearing masks,” Colbert said.

In response, Clay Travis, who runs the sports news site Outkick, tweeted a video clip of the show on Thursday, saying “their brains are broken” and that “these self-righteous anti-science misfits have each received four coronavirus shots.” and believes Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter will allow disinformation to flourish.”

“I have a feeling that masks for the left have become like open wear for the right,” joked another user.

– Must be a joke? another asked. “Colbert asked his audience to wear a mask just for the camera? I hope.”

According to the official website used to book tickets, Colbert’s show requires his in-studio viewers to “be fully vaccinated and provide personal proof of vaccination.” In terms of masking, the show ties its policy to Manhattan’s “community risk level” as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“According to the CDC, when New York County is at medium or high risk to the public, masks are always required in the theater to cover the nose and mouth,” the website says.

The Colbert Show retained the restrictions, although many Broadway shows relaxed such requirements by making disguises optional. As of Thursday, the CDC said the level of risk to the public in Manhattan was “medium.”

The CDC measures the level of risk to the community using three metrics: the number of new COVID hospital admissions, the percentage of full inpatient beds occupied by COVID patients, and new COVID cases.

Just over 300 confirmed cases of COVID have been reported in Manhattan over the past week, according to city health officials. Last week, Manhattan’s seven-day average of COVID-19 hospitalizations was about 17.

The Post has requested comment from CBS.

“This is a big moment after all the COVID we’ve all been through – Delta variant, Omicron, Omicron BA-2, XBB.1.5, Z-95, the birthplace of classic rock,” Colbert joked on the show on Tuesday. .

He added: “For the record, the White House is not saying COVID is no more.”

“Only that we’ve gotten past the worst of it and we can now view the virus as an ‘endemic public health threat that can be dealt with,'” Colbert said while reading the Associated Press news story.

“So COVID is no longer an emergency, but just a disease that we will all live with forever,” Colbert said.