Natalie Portman’s Humblebrag Won Late Night This Week

So … what else is in the news? Last week, we said the news was too dark and absurd. Then over the weekend, News really upped her game. The late-night hosts had quite the time of it, reacting to an assassination attempt then (kind of) going back to business as usual for RNC coverage. Everyone carried on well. It says a lot that we all move on from stuff like this so quickly — well, except for those people who gave themselves ear bandages. They’re still deep in that news cycle. But late night moved right along. We’ve got Twisters to promote, people! Here’s who got the job done this week in late night.

5. Julio Torres Does Impressions Now

Julio Torres came on The Tonight Show with a fascinator on. That’s bold! Torres said the look was meant to convey “I’m sprouting an idea,” which is very on-brand. The main meat of this interview were Torres’s impressions of all the different colors. It’s a great concept and an obvious avenue to explore after doing a lot of work with shapes. But what tickled me most in this segment was the way Torres always took a few beats to remember what talking point Jimmy Fallon was trying to segue into. Each time, it was like a mini “Eureka!” moment.

4. The Daily Show Tackles the Issues (J.D. Vance’s Beard)

The intensity between Jordan Klepper and Desi Lydic as they debate whether or not beards are acceptable is really good. The energy of the piece heightens the dumb bullshit being discussed. I want to throw some special shine on Klepper’s elocution when he says “a straight talker that won’t kowtow to claptrap from the fat cats at Philips Norelco.” A lovely “Capital T that rhymes with P that stands for ‘pool’” cadence.

3. Stephen Colbert’s Chris Farley Impression

Or more specifically, his Matt Foley impression. During one of Stephen Colbert’s nightly live, post-RNC monologues, he put on the airs of a man who lives in a van down by the river. It was in service of making fun of how loud Representative Tom Emmer hooted and hollered during his speech. It was remarkable how much Colbert changed his body shape to do the bit, puffing his tummy out by like 300 percent. That’s Second City touring company chops right there.

2. Chris Fleming’s Scintillating New Play

The episode of After Midnight featuring Gillian Jacobs, Alaska 5000, and Chris Fleming was one for the books. Lot of big ideas! Writer Sam Taggart A normal man roasted the whole panel, for starters. But the moment that really sang in the episode was when Fleming roped his co-panelists into reading his riff on Glengarry Glen Ross during the talk-show portion of the episode. It had the energy of the precocious child at a dinner party and the aged family members who sanction his buffoonery. That’s a delicious vibe to inhabit for a while.

1. Natalie Portman Knows Elmo

I have not been able to stop thinking about this interaction between Natalie Portman and Seth Meyers, where they talk about which Sesame Street monsters they’ve worked with, since I saw it. Meyers talks about doing a bit with the Count and how his kids don’t like it. But then Portman drops that she worked with Elmo in the most humblebraggy way, and it’s delicious. The way she knows Elmo is a bigger get than the Count, but that caring about Muppet status is wack, but still: Elmo! It’s the way Meyers interviews — letting things have the air they need, being an active listener, going with the flow — that lets a moment like this happen.