Stephen Colbert’s live test of his new American writer sparks moments so awkward they’re impossible to forget.NH
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert took a personal turn on Wednesday night, as the CBS host welcomed staff writer Felipe Torres Medina onstage to celebrate his recent U.S. citizenship—by taking part in a faux-game show titled “So You Think You American.”
The segment began with Colbert riffing on the Trump administration’s efforts to make the citizenship test “longer and more difficult.” After a few jabs at the new requirements (“Question one: Will you be my fourth wife? No? Well, then have fun in El Salvador”), Colbert introduced Medina as “my Colombian-born writer who just became a U.S. citizen.”
Medina, who joined The Late Show in 2019, played along as Colbert quizzed him with an exaggerated version of the test. Asked, “What is the supreme law of the land?” Medina answered, “The Constitution.” Colbert buzzed him wrong: “I’m afraid the answer is ‘Fries for the table.’” Other questions veered from civics to pop culture—with Colbert calling George Washington “the father of our country” and Pedro Pascal “the zaddy of our country.”
After scoring a narrow win, Medina was declared “truly an American citizen” and awarded “the most American T-shirt possible,” featuring George Washington riding a bald eagle and shouting, “What the [bleep] is a kilometer?”
The moment doubled as a showcase for Medina’s own work. Earlier this year, he released America, Let Me In: A Choose Your Immigration Story, a darkly comic book inspired by his decade-long path to citizenship.
Medina has appeared on The Late Show several times before, Including a memorable 2023 appearance in which Medina quizzed Colbert on the nuances that differentiate Latino and Hispanic identities.
Watch Medina’s appearance on Wednesday night’s Late Show at the top of this post.
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