Stephen Colbert's Recent Guest Was Applauded For Attending And Not Thinking She Was Above The Show

Stephen Colbert has interviewed many political figures on The Late Show, including Donald Trump, who wasn’t sorry for his harsh comments about the host. While Colbert could get too aggressive with his activism at times, he continues to win fans with lighthearted political chats, like recently with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — the first black female and first federal public defender to serve on the Supreme Court.

Fans praised Justice Jackson for entertaining Colbert’s not-so-serious banter. She even talked about her favorite reality TV show, Survivorwhile refusing to spill some confidential tea, which the host kept trying to get. Colbert — the sixth-richest late-night host — then felt intimidated by Jackson making it a “high-level” episode, according to fans.

Ketanji Brown Jackson Humorously Handled Stephen Colbert’s “Frustrating” Questions

Colbert Warned Justice Jackson That He’d Ask Her Off-Limit Topics

Justice Jackson immediately received a loud applause when Colbert introduced her on The Late Show. “I assume that’s the greeting you get at the Supreme Court,” the comedian quipped, to which the guest laughed, saying “Every day, every day.” It prefaced the fun spirit of the interview. But before starting, the host acknowledged the limits of their discussion.

“It’s always fascinating to talk to Supreme Court Justices even though I know, in this conversation, you are going to frustrate me to no end when you don’t answer questions about cases that are before the court,” Colbert said. “Unfortunately, that is a limitation,” Justice Jackson replied.

Colbert apologized in advance to his guest, hoping “not to frustrate” her when he asked the off-limit questions anyway. After refusing to share her thoughts on the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s “interpretation” of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act, Justice Jackson indulged the host with a candid anecdote about her mentor, former Justice Stephen Breyer.

“I clerked for him,” Jackson said of her mentor. “I had the great, good fortune of getting to see him in his bicycle shorts when he would come into the court.” The audience laughed, along with Colbert, who then joked: “I’m sorry. Does the supreme court not have H.R.? I don’t understand.”

It’s nice to know Supreme Court Justices have a sense of humor, too. So viewers thought it was a good move for Justice Jackson to appear on The Late Show, especially since “most judges think they’re above people.” Although she was mainly there to promote her book, fans commended the jurist for “embracing more outward demonstrations of personality and love for the rule of law.”

Here’s a brief timeline of Justice Jackson’s career as a judge:

Ketanji Brown Jackson Told Stephen Colbert She’s A Survivor “Super Fan”

Justice Jackson Compared Supreme Court To Survivor

Since Survivor is also a CBS show, Colbert took the opportunity to reveal that Justice Jackson called herself a “Survivor super fan”. The host then asked if the competition series has similarities with the Supreme Court. The guest agreed by addressing the fact that “anybody who has been to the court lately, it’s been said that our oral arguments are getting longer and longer.”

“Outlast” is part of the three aspects of the Survivor challenge: “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast”. Here’s what each of them means:

• Outwit: Testing the finalists’ social game
• Outplay: The finalists’ performance in the physical challenges thrown their way
• Outlast: The finalists get a final chance to address the jury/closing statement during the Final Tribal Council

Justice Jackson was spot-on with that reference. And in case you’re surprised by her reality TV interest, you might also be surprised that she once acted with Matt Damon. Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning, the judge said she and Damon did a scene from Waiting for Godot together during their Harvard days.

“We were never in an actual performance, but we were in a drama class together and we were paired as scene partners… He’s not going to remember this, of course,” Jackson recalled. She remembers it well because she was “excited” to act with the Bourne star, who was already “well-known around campus and off campus.” But did you know that Justice Jackson was a better actor than Damon back then?

“As I recall, we had to do the scene, we had to memorize a part of it, and we did it together, and it’s a two-person play, a two-person scene,” shared the Supreme Court Justice. And at the end, the professor said, ‘Ketanji, you were very good. Matt, we’ll talk.'”

Jackson confessed it was a big moment for her. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, I was better than Matt Damon in a scene,'” she said. The Good Will Hunting alum was a year ahead of Jackson back then. He later dropped out with just 12 credits remaining to pursue acting (and it obviously worked out).

Stephen Colbert Found Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Age “Unnerving”

Colbert Isn’t Used To Meeting Supreme Court Justices Younger Than Him

Better-actor-than-Matt Damon aside, Justice Jackson’s achievements at the age of 53 are really something. Even Colbert, 60, admitted it was “strange” to be speaking with his history-making guest. “I do have to say, it’s lovely. It’s strange to talk to a justice of the Supreme Court who is considerably younger than I am.”

The guest responded with a laugh that was so humble, that the audience laughed instead of going “aww” at Colbert’s minor self-deprecation. One fan wrote of such moments: “Only Colbert can keep a discussion on a level this high in a late night show.”

Justice Jackson went on to discuss her book’s emphasis on hard work, “because I sort of felt like this was my professional brand throughout my life, working very hard,” she told the host. Fans said she truly is the “lovely one”, which she said is the translation of her whole name.