Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt live late-show episode at DNC 2024
A pro-Palestinian protester disrupted a live broadcast of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in Chicago on Tuesday night when he interrupted an interview between host Stephen Colbert and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The CBS late-night show is broadcasting live from Chicago for a week during the Democratic National Convention. During her interview with Colbert, a woman in the Auditorium Theater audience shouted “Free Palestine!” and questioned U.S. support for Israel. The Hollywood Reporter was in the audience at the show.
Before a commercial break, Colbert took aim at the protester and promised to ask Pelosi about it after the break, which he did. The moderator asked Pelosi for her opinion on the U.S.’s style of exercising power abroad. Pelosi said she hoped the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas would go ahead and stressed the need for a two-state solution.
The congresswoman also said, “War has no place in a civilized society,” prompting another protester to loudly question why the U.S. government was supplying weapons to Israel. Colbert urged the protesters to listen to their answer, but when the shouting persisted, he said, “Please do not interrupt my guests.” Pelosi’s remarks ended shortly afterward.
Colbert also asked Jeffries about Gaza, but there were no further interruptions during the show. Sources said protesters left the theater on their own and the situation was handled peacefully.
In addition to the protesters inside the theater, a group of protesters outside the theater chanted “Nancy, Nancy, you can’t hide” and drummed. Dozens of Chicago police officers came to the theater and ordered the protesters to leave, saying they were on private property and would be arrested if they did not disperse. It appeared as though the protesters were moving away from the theater doors when THR The reporter left the building.
The Auditorium Theater is about three miles from the United Center, where the 2024 Democratic National Convention is being held this week. In addition to Pelosi, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries was a guest on Tuesday’s show, and actress Laura Benanti reprised her role as Melania Trump.
In the run-up to the DNC, organizers and Chicago police were preparing for large-scale protests around the convention hall. Tight security was in place in and around the United Center. Late Tuesday night, about 70 people were arrested after clashes with police during a protest that began outside the Israeli consulate, according to the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
A larger protest march and rally on Monday were more peaceful, although police arrested several people who tore down a fence at the outer security perimeter of Congress.
