What was it like working with Stephen Colbert in Monroe? It involved helium, vodka and a lot of laughs.
Representatives from Monroe Community Media and Monroe County Community College met on Tuesday, June 2, at Ellis Library & Reference Center eager to share their experience working with the talk show host.
“Only in Monroe” hosts Michelle Baumann and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson joined Jerry Gysin, MCM radio operations manager and Brian Burchette, MCM media coordinator.
They sat with Matt Bird-Meyer, Monroe County Community College journalism/humanities professor and Agora student newspaper adviser, and Maggie Robinson, former Agora editor and recent MCCC graduate.
After his final “The Late Show” aired on CBS May 21, Stephen Colbert made a surprise appearance the next night, as a guest-host for the second time on MCM’s “Only in Monroe.”
The episode aired at 11:35 p.m. Friday, May 22. Colbert also was on the Monroe show in July 2015.
This week, the group finally had the green light to talk about the show’s airing and readily admitted they were Colbert fans long before the talk show host made Monroe a household name. They had kept the secret for months.
“I was so worried about screwing it up, I didn’t even tell my wife,” Bird-Meyer said smiling. “I took a lot of heat for that.”
They laughed about Baumann and Wilson drinking shots of Cain & Grain from the River Raisin Distillery and inhaling helium with the 62-year-old talk show host.
“It wasn’t water. It was vodka!” Wilson said with a smile. “Stephen selected it. Everything was local.”
The room filled with laughter as Wilson said she did not remember the second half of the show and getting asked questions.
Both women agreed not many people can say they did shots and inhaled helium with Colbert. They both rate the experience as a 10 out of 10.
Only in Monroe
While in Monroe, Colbert and his team of 40 were introduced to foods from local eateries like R Diner, Erie Bread Company and Buscemi’s Pizza.
“The show came out on Friday, and my cousin called on Saturday to try to get a Buscemi’s Pizza, because he had never tried it,” Burchette said. “They told him there was an hour and a half wait. So, Buscemi’s definitely got a lot of business.”
They estimate taping the show took more than six hours with several rehearsal runs except for Baumann and Wilson.
“We got no rehearsals,” Baumann said. “We got one and done and I think my eyes were closed most of the time from laughing.”
Bird-Meyer admits shortly after it was announced Colbert’s show was cancelled last year, he emailed Genevieve Benson, MCM creative director, about Colbert returning to the show and with permission, he submitted the idea to Colbert’s iconic “Viewer Comment Box” but never got a response.
According to Gysin, it was Colbert’s people that contacted MCM about the show.
“They reached out to us,” Gysin said. “We received an email saying they would love to come back and we were flabbergasted. On Stephen’s last episode when he teased the 2015 show, we posted that clip on the Monroe Community Media site and Stephen, himself, actually commented. We said, ‘You can come back to Monroe anytime,’ and that is when we first got an idea of what was going on when he responded, ‘Well, I’m free starting tomorrow night.’”
As Colbert prepared to interview MCM hosts and actor Jeff Daniels, Bird-Meyer along with Robinson and Burchette manned three cameras.
“They came in and could have told us to get out of the way, leave us alone and let us do our thing but they embraced us,” Burchette said. “They brought us in and said we were going to be a part of this, and they showed us stuff we had never known and they taught us. They brought us into the circle.”
Throughout the taping, Colbert called on Benson for assistance and she quickly created her own fan club based on her reactions to the guest host.
Working with Colbert
Colbert interacted with those working behind the scenes, often referring to Bird-Meyer as “Professor.”
Bird-Meyer said it was not his idea for the moniker but Yvonne DeMare’s, Colbert’s director for the show.
“As the crew worked on the script, they had placeholders for our names where Colbert acknowledges and thanks the camera crew. Yvonne and another crew member asked what names we preferred,” Bird-Meyer explained. “Yvonne had already started referencing me as the professor, so when they came around to me, Yvonne and I both agreed it would be funny to keep me as professor in the script.”
And in professor form, when given the opportunity, Bird-Meyer schooled Colbert on the proper pronunciation of bonsai (bone sigh).
“I have 30 trees of my own and he kept mispronouncing it during that bit,” Bird-Meyer said jokingly.
He teased with Colbert about how to pronounce it correctly. Bird-Meyer’s laughter coupled with Burchette’s can be heard off camera as they react to Colbert’s antics.
The “Only In Monroe” episode ended with the set, described as a version no longer used by the show, being destroyed by Colbert, Jack White and Daniels followed by a flaming dumpster.
Since airing the show, MCM and The Forum, the Agora’s interview show, has hit record highs with views. MCM estimates the show scored 6 million views not including clips that have been copied and reposted online.
Up for bid
On May 28, Colbert announced items from his Monroe appearances would be auctioned at Colbertinmonroe.com with eBay bidding running through Monday, June 1. Scripts from both shows with notes and autographs were part of the auction along with signed remnants of the destroyed set and a MCM coffee mug. The auction proceeds, totaling about $7,000, will benefit Monroe Community Media.
“It was Stephen or someone on his crew who came up with the auction,” Gysin said. “I had found the old script and a group shot from 2015 and I brought it out to show Stephen and he asked, ‘Can you part with that?’ and that’s when I found out about the auction.”
In addition to the auction, many viewers sent donations to Gabby’s Grief Center. Wilson said approximately $3,000 was received following the show.
Making memories
Collectively, the group admires Colbert’s quick sense of humor, his professionalism and his down-to-earth personality. There are segments of the show that will never air but will remain etched in the minds of this group.
As they reflected on the experience and how gracious Colbert and his staff were to work with, they shared memories they will treasure.
“My whole life I wanted to do something in entertainment and this was it,” Burchette said. “I’m about to turn 60 and this was the best way to end my 50s. This was my moment.”
“For me, it’s finally getting to see behind the curtain,” Gysin said. “Even though they are this superstar status, you can talk with them casually. We were a part of this production with them. That kind of personality is what I would like us to project. People can come to us, and we are going to treat them just like Colbert treated us.”
“There are so many great memories from this time and the last time,” Baumann added. “My best memory is how he made us feel. How someone makes you feel is what you remember. We connected on a level that was personal and professional. He left us wanting more.”
— Contact reporter Lisa Vidaurri-Bowling at lvidaurribowling@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: ‘Only in Monroe’ reflect on Stephen Colbert guest host
Reporting by Lisa Vidaurri Bowling, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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By Lisa Vidaurri Bowling, The Monroe News | USA TODAY Network
