Stephen Colbert Chased Away from Harvard Event amid Hundreds of Liberal Student Union Protesters

Canceled Late Show host Stephen Colbert (remember him?) fled an event at Harvard after someone triggered a fire alarm while liberal union protesters shouted outside over his decision to defy their picket line and give a talk at the school. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma also took the stage with Colbert on Thursday so too defying pleas from the Harvard Graduate Student Union (HGSU) urging them to cancel and stand down in solidarity, the NY Post reports. The pair were participating in a discussion, “Arts for Life’s Sake,” before a capacity crowd at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre when striking graduate students outside launched a chorus of shouted abuse with air horns blowing and drums banging thus making it difficult to hear the speakers, especially the soft-spoken Ma. Forty-minutes into their discussion a triggered fire alarm forced organizers to pull the plug during the question and answer portion and escort Colbert plus Ma out of the venue. The 90-minute scheduled show did not resume. The union members denied responsibility for pulling the alarm saying they had absolutely no idea how that might have happened. The union was hoping Colbert — who stood with protesters during the Writers Guild strike in 2023 and co-founded Strike Force Five — and Yo Yo Ma, a Harvard graduate, would avoid walking the picket line, the NY Post report continued. Colbert’s final episode of his basement-rated show aired in May this year and attracted only 12 percent of the audience that tuned in to say goodbye to Johnny Carson in 1992, as Breitbart News reported. HGSU has been on strike since Oct. 27, demanding a contract that includes wage increases and protections for non-citizens and harassment and discrimination. Outside, after the event had hastily ended, the crowd watched the protesters, who held signs saying, “AI can’t replace me,” “Protect noncitizen workers,” and “Teachers, researchers for a fair contract,” and chanted slogans like “1-2-3-4, Harvard pay your workers more,” Harvard Magazine noted. Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com