Joking of his "position of experience" hosting a television show for five presidential campaigns, CBS "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert astutely noted that "this year there are a lot of candidates" before hilariously mocking the crowded 2016 field to the wildly popular Young Adult novel series, The Hunger Games.
“Welcome to the Hungry for Power Games,” Colbert yelled after he slipped into character, impersonating Stanley Tucci's “Hunger Games” emcee Caesar Flickerman, complete with a blue bouffant wig and a glass of champagne. A roster of all 23 presidential hopefuls, or "a fresh crop of tributes for the Capitol" then appears before Colbert says, "may the margin of error be forever in your favor."
"Who looks expendable this year," Colbert asked before instructing the “the large, angry one from the East,” New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and the “curly-haired one from the Coal District," Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, to fight one another.
The segment turned somber after Colbert noted that "sadly, over the weekend, we lost one of the most promising tributes." Former Texas governor Rick Perry suspended his second bid for the White House on Friday.
"Rick we hardly knew ye existed," Colbert joked. “As much as I’m going to miss Rick Perry,” Colbert said, “I think I’m going to miss my jokes about his smart-guy glasses even more.”
Colbert then urged the audience to “bid farewell to the fallen – farewell, Rick Perry.” A canon sound effect soon follows before a quick cut to a clip of Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen looking up into the sky as the studio camera pans to the theater's ceiling to reveal an image of Rick Perry, from “District Texas.”
Watch the segment, via "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert":
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