Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. What do you think of it? What else are you interested in? Let us know: thearts@nytimes.com.
‘Whatever You Do, Don’t Resign’
Conan O’Brien and Trevor Noah said President Trump refused to listen to his staff on what seemed like a very small matter on Monday: whether to look directly at the solar eclipse.
“After being advised specifically not to look at the sun without protective glasses — true story — President Trump stared at the eclipse today without protective glasses. He did it after they told him not to. So afterwards, everyone started advising him: Whatever you do, don’t resign.” — CONAN O’BRIEN
“Apparently the president’s aides were really worried about him, so they told him not to look directly into the sun. And Donald Trump was like, ‘Don’t worry about me — that’s my policy every day: Don’t look at the son, don’t talk to the son, and definitely don’t celebrate the son’s birthday.’” — TREVOR NOAH
Trevor Noah and Roy Wood Jr. on White Supremacy
Mr. Noah asked Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” to share his take on the recent protests by white nationalists and other far-right groups against the removal of Confederate monuments.
“The Klan marching doesn’t shock me. What would shock me is if they marched in the hood. Take that [expletive] to Oakland and see what happens.” — ROY WOOD JR.
The Punchiest Punchlines (Eclipse Edition)
“Donald Trump and Melania were watching together, which surprised me. Because, I mean, two minutes of total darkness? That should have been her chance to escape.” — TREVOR NOAH
“Experts are saying that President Trump is already preparing for the 2020 election. Now some people think that’s overly optimistic, but others say, no, he’ll probably be paroled by then.” — CONAN O’BRIEN
The Bits Worth Watching
The Kid Mero on India Calderón: “She’s in the position that my mom gets in when she wants to smack me.”
Andy Richter was about to use his eclipse glasses — then he decided to let someone else look first.
What We’re Excited About on Tuesday Night
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota will appear on “The Daily Show” on Tuesday.
Also, Check This Out
Of Jerry Lewis, our critic writes: “Sometimes the measure of a career isn’t so much in the work that you do as in the influence that you have.”
Continue reading the main story