The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired a special episode from his home, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. He joked about the challenges of self-isolation, expressed gratitude for medical workers, and poked fun at President Trump's handling of the crisis. Colbert also mentioned the arrival of the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, in New York City and criticized Trump's comments about medical workers allegedly stealing masks. The episode ended with Colbert introducing his next guest, John Oliver, and teasing a humorous take on the pandemic.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Stephen Colbert is hosting "The Late Show" from a temporary set at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater.
2. Colbert is wearing a suit while hosting the show from home to maintain a sense of normalcy.
3. His family is helping him with the show, with his son acting as tech and cameraman, and his daughter doing his makeup.
4. The show is discussing the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the country.
5. The city of New York is setting up a field hospital in Central Park to treat coronavirus patients.
6. Medical schools are graduating their seniors a month early so they can join the front lines of the pandemic response.
7. 76,000 healthcare workers in New York, many of them retired, have volunteered to help with the crisis.
8. The USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, has arrived in New York to provide additional medical support.
9. Residents of other states are rallying to support New Yorkers during the pandemic.
10. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has expanded travel restrictions for people coming from hot zones, including New York and Louisiana.
11. Maine residents have been targeting people with New Jersey license plates, assuming they may have the coronavirus.
12. President Trump has accused medical workers of stealing masks, despite no evidence to support this claim.
13. Trump has been focused on his ratings during the pandemic, tweeting about the high viewership of his daily briefings.
14. The federal government's guidelines for social distancing have been extended until April 30th.
15. Trump had previously suggested that the pandemic would be over by Easter, but has now pushed back his timeline.
16. The pandemic has grown severe, with over 150 countries affected and 150,000 Americans infected.
17. Trump has learned that there are 151 countries in the world, which he claims he did not know before.
18. Some people had advised Trump not to implement social distancing measures at all, but he decided to take action anyway.