Stephen Colbert deals with Late Show protests during Nancy Pelosi interview

Stephen Colbert is one of the most politically outspoken late night hosts currently active. He regularly gives his two cents with regards to the state of the government, and who he supports. Colbert had Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on his show Tuesday night, and you could cut the tension in the studio with a knife.

Colbert told the viewers at home that there was a protest going on in the audience. Many of the attendees were critical of Pelosi and her stance on the Palestine-Israel conflict. The attendees in question were chanting a pro-Palestine message, while Pelosi tried to address the conflict to the host.

Colbert asked Nancy Pelosi difficult questions

Colbert's line of questioning was interrupted by the chants, to the point where he asked if Nancy Pelosi wanted to respond to the protestors. "As you can see from the continuing protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people," he told the Speaker of the House.

Pelosi claimed that she was unable to hear what the chants were saying, to which Colbert clarified: "They've said that the U.S. should not have any role in supplying Israel arms to kill the people of Gaza." Pelosi tried to respond, noting that Israel has a "right to defend itself," but the chants only grew more vocal, to the point where it drowned out the interview.

Colbert asked the audience to be respectful of his guest

It was here that Stephen Colbert put his foot down. The talk show host told his audience members to quiet down, and be respectful to his guest, regardless of beliefs. "Please don't interrupt my guests," he announced. The demand proved fruitless, and the interview ended prematurely. He voiced his hope that Pelosi would return to The Late Show at a later date.

The general consensus among viewers was that Colbert did a fine job of handling a very difficult situation. Instead of ignoring the protestors, and dismissing their chants, he made a point of asking difficult questions and trying to get real answers out of Pelosi.

It wasn't entirely successful, but few can knock the Late Show host for trying. He navigated a highly undesirable situation like a professional, and that's all you can really ask for at the end of the day.