Laura Benanti, the Tony-winning Broadway star and actress from “The Gilded Age,” surprised audiences with her return to “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Monday, reprising her hilarious portrayal of Melania Trump for the first time in over a year.
Before teasing the appearance of an anonymous juror from Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial, Colbert pondered Melania Trump’s absence from the proceedings, noting her lack of public statements about the trial despite being in Manhattan when the verdict was announced.
“Notably absent [from the trial] has been Melania Trump,” Colbert remarked. “She has not released any public statements about the trial and she never showed up in court.”
“She was in New York, but we don’t know where—that’s interesting,” he continued. “Of course the other big question, now that the trial is over, is where are the jurors? They’re now released by the judge and they’re allowed to talk,” he added.
Introducing “Juror #11” under the guise of complete anonymity, Benanti, with her unmistakable Melania Trump accent, humorously attempted to disguise herself as a random New Yorker with a typical New York accent.
“I am just a random New Yorker with a random New York accent,” Benanti said in character, prompting Colbert to remark on the familiarity of her voice. “How about those Mets? Not good at baseball, yes?”
She gleefully celebrated the guilty verdict before Colbert mentioned the possibility of Trump receiving house arrest, causing Benanti’s character to drop the act and reveal her true identity as Melania Trump, exclaiming, “Stephen, nooo!”
“That is cruel and unusual punishment—for me!” Benanti exclaimed.
Colbert continued the playful banter, asking the parody Melania Trump whether serving as a juror had caused any “hard feelings” between her and her husband.
“Oh please, Stephen, I haven’t felt anything hard between us for years,” she quipped in response.
