Back in 2012, when he was still playing “Stephen Colbert” on The Colbert Report and Donald Trump was still just a reality-show host, Stephen Colbert spent an inordinate amount of time making fun of Mitt Romney. So it felt like old times Monday night when the Late Show host spent a few minutes mocking the Utah senator’s newly revealed secret Twitter account.
The revelation came from a profile in The Atlantic titled “The Liberation of Mitt Romney,” “which I know sounds like a mid-’70s erotic novella,” Colbert joked, “but it’s actually about Romney’s role as a critic of Donald Trump.”
Romney wouldn’t tell reporter McKay Coppins the name of the account, but did give some hints, like the number of people he follows, including a few late-night comedians. “What’s his name, the big redhead from Boston?” Romney said.
ADVERTISEMENT
“He has a name, sir! It’s Ginger O’Pale-Body,” Colbert replied as Conan O’Brien’s photo appeared on screen. “And he’s a friend!”
Ultimately, Slate’s Ashley Feinberg deduced that the account in question goes by the name “Pierre Delecto” and Romney confirmed the hunch by saying, “C’est moi.”
“Yes, Pierre Delecto!” Colbert said. “It sounds like something from French-Canadian soft-core porn.” He added, “This is the most embarrassing reveal since we found out Lindsey Graham’s secret Twitter handle is ‘Wolfgang Scrumptious.’”
“But I have a bone to pick with Pierre, because turns out, Conan’s not the only late-night host he follows,” Colbert said. “He also likes Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon.” With that, he said, “I’m proud to launch our new ad campaign: ‘Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon: The Choice of Mitt Romney. Watch The Late Show, only on CBS.”
Meanwhile, Conan O’Brien also picked up on his role in the Romney story on his show earlier in the evening on TBS. “Mitt’s like, ‘Conan, what a weird first name,’” the host joked. “OK, Mitt.” (Romney’s real first name is Willard, for what it’s worth.)
