John Oliver visited Stephen Colbert on The Late Show Friday, where the Daily Show vets talked about The Lion King, Boris Johnson and whether the Last Week Tonight host actually met Beyonc during the all-cast photoshoot.
In the lead-up to Fridays The Lion King release, Disney distributed a photo of the entire voice cast together; in that photo, Oliver who voices Zazu in the live-action remake is standing next to Beyonc, although the large gap between the singer and the late-night host had fans wondering whether Beyonc was simply added to the photograph later.
Speaking to Colbert, Oliver confirmed that was the case. She wasnt there, Oliver revealed.
I remember we were setting up the shot and Chiwetel [Ejiofor] who was sitting in the front said You need to be careful of where your foot is. And I looked down and there was just this piece of tape on the floor with Beyoncs name written on it and literally, it was like an electrical reaction. Ohh shit! Just the future presence of Beyonc was so intimidating. So if you look at my face in there, I look really intimidated, and thats because what Im doing is imagining Im about to be put in a photo with Beyonc one day.
Inside Beyonc's Bold Bet to Get Americans to Listen to African Music'The Lion King' Remake: The Circle of Life Returns With a Risk-Free RepeatMarty Stuart on Making Ken Burns' 'Country Music'War of the Crowes
As for the glaring space between him and the Photoshopped-in singer in the photo, the British host said, Its only appropriate theres a significant gap between me and an actual queen.
The Lion King marks a rare movie role for Oliver, though Colbert reminded his fellow former Daily Show correspondent that the two of them did appear in The Love Guru.
I am a gigantic movie star as of today, and things are gonna change around here. My personality is shifting under my feet, Oliver said. Im gonna get jacked. Im gonna deliver a debilitating cocaine habit Im gonna buy a monster truck Im sure Disney is very happy about the fact that Im talking about cocaine two minutes into the interview.
Later in the interview, Oliver gave Colbert a breakdown of British politics and explained why former London mayor and potential Prime Minister Boris Johnson is that nations equivalent of Donald Trump:
Oliver, who delivers a weekly dose of despair on Last Week Tonight, then told Colbert what gives him hope for the future in these dark days: When you see kids being nice to each other.