I’m not very interested in why Stephen Colbert was in New Zealand some time ago. This is not a yarn about Stephen Colbert – no, this is a yarn about how absolutely brilliant Kiwi PM Jacinda Ardern is. It also happens to have Colbert in it. Yes, I’m being dramatic as hell. You’ll understood in a few minutes.
[jwplayer hBEazcFg]
(I was writing and watching the video at the same time – it had only been four minutes and my heart was bursting)
As part of the week-long series, “The Newest Zealander”, Colbert travelled to the country to interview Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. It’s not every day an American late night host flies 14 hours to talk to another country’s leader, but this is Jacinda Ardern we’re talking about. They also discussed Ardern’s hopes to be re-elected in 2020, her recent engagement to the lovely Clarke Gayford, and the possibility of Colbert being the officiant at their wedding.
Colbert also praised Ardern for the immediate passing of gun reform laws following the Christchurch shootings.
“That was inspiring to those of us who live in the United States who deal with gun violence,” Colbert said.
“We’re pragmatists in New Zealand and so when it was described to me the weapons that we use and how easily they were obtained, my immediate reaction was… that can’t stand and it has to change,” Ardern explained.
“And so you know I needed the votes of three political parties to be able to do it but I didn’t think that I’d even need to ask them if they thought the same thing so I just went out there and said, ‘Our laws will change’, and in the end, every single member of parliament except for one voted for that change.”
No, I do not know why Lorde was randomly in this video.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how polite Ardern was about not accepting the goddamn peanut brittle, oh my God.
Okay, I’m off to rewatch the video again.
Happy Hump Day.
