Jake Tapper's Gollum Gift to Stephen Colbert

0:00It's April 23rd. You're listening to Entertainment and celebrity news today, AI-powered entertainment coverage. Jake Tapper brought some serious middle-earth magic to Stephen Colbert's late show, with a handmade painting that nailed Colbert's obsession with Lord. Of the Rings. Instead of a generic gift, Tapper turned Colbert into Gollum, the ring obsessed creature, capturing that wild energy perfectly. Tapper, who dabbled in art back in college and still paints for fun, knew Colbert was tough to shop for. He bounced ideas off Colbert's wife Evelyn, who nixed Hobbit or Wizard versions since the host already has plenty of those fantasy self-portraits, hanging around. Colbert lit up the second he saw it, calling the piece beautiful and even channeling Gollum with a spot-on. The crowd ate it up, turning what could have been a standard chat, into pure joy. This drop happened right as Tapper might be signing off from the show for good, adding extra heart to the moment.

1:00Meanwhile, Colbert's wrapping up his late show run on May 21st. He's pivoting to a fresh Lord of the Rings project, teaming up with his son Peter and writer Philippa Boyens on a film that keeps that token fire. Burning Strong.