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title: Martin Short Roasted Stephen Colbert And It Was Glorious
description: “It’s like sitting across from Paul Ryan without the gym membership,” Martin Short said about Stephen Colbert on The Late Show
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article:published_time: 2018-04-12T15:23:39.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:52:04.628Z
og:title: Martin Short Roasted Stephen Colbert And It Was Glorious
og:description: “It’s like sitting across from Paul Ryan without the gym membership,” Short said
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# Martin Short Roasted Stephen Colbert and It Was Glorious

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by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Apr 12, 2018 3:23 PM UTC

by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Apr 12, 2018 3:23 PM UTC

[Martin Short](http://time.com/3893966/watch-martin-short-hit-the-streets-with-billy-eichner/?iid=sr-link10) and Stephen [Colbert](http://time.com/5218593/samantha-bee-on-stephen-colbert/?iid=sr-link4) have only met a few times, but that didn’t stop Short from brutally roasting Colbert on his very own television show.

Short stopped by _The Late Show_ on Wednesday night and while he was complimentary about the audience (“This is the most recent one I have seen!” he said) and the show itself (“If late shows were ranked as the [Trump](http://time.com/5237672/wendy-vitter-brown-v-board-segregation/?xid=homepage) children, this would be Ivanka”), he was far less kind to Colbert himself.

“It’s like sitting across from Paul Ryan without the gym membership,” Short said about [Colbert](http://time.com/5220369/stephen-colbert-dana-carvey-roast-john-bolton/?iid=sr-link3), after calling him a cross between “Ken and Rachel Maddow.” He wasn’t done, either: “You look like the world’s hippest insurance adjuster. You really do,” he added.

It wasn’t only the host who was subjected to Short’s barbs. He also turned his gimlet-eye on bandleader Jon Batiste, noting his predilection for sharply tailored suits. “If he ate a grape a button would pop off and blind an audience member,” Short teased. In short, Short was hilariously brutal and completely endearing.

Watch below.

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