Did Justin Timberlake Intentionally Bomb His ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Appearance?

Let me preface this by saying I’ve seen nearly every Justin Timberlake late night TV show appearance that exists, certainly in America and some even from abroad. Which is why I must ask: what the hell happened with his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night?

My first suspicion was that maybe he took an Advil PM instead of a regular Advil. It happens sometimes! And that would explain all the pauses, the long, drawn-out answers he was giving (if at all), and the general lethargic nature of his interview. He recited stories that…sort of had no point? It took him 2 minutes of nothingness (which is an eternity in late night interview minutes) to admit that yes, his 2-year-old son, Silas, did in fact inherit his messy skills from dad. He rambled on about singing in church, and when he began to sing the National Anthem with Colbert, dropped out before any of the notes got too intimidating. Finish what you started, bro! The church talk started up again, with Timberlake declaring, “Church is the first place you learn how to lie,” which was surely intended as a joke, but was received as flatly as it was told.

Colbert went on to bring up the Super Bowl, where Timberlake will be performing the halftime show. He alternated between nods and blank stares, but came up with awkward, empty silence when asked about “the last time” he performed there. No jokes for that one, pal? You should’ve written an entire monologue’s worth when you signed up for the gig — the questioning was inevitable. Instead, Timberlake provided an,”Uhhhhh….It’ll be great.” Way to sell it, guy!

Maybe he needed a warm up, let’s take a look at what happened after the commercial break! Oh…it’s a story about how Kate Winslet could hear him peeing in his trailer while they filmed Wonder Wheel. While his British accent was cute enough and he had nothing but wonderfully complimentary things to say about “Oscar-winner Kate Winslet” (as he damn should), everything else was a slog. There was a long, weird plane metaphor, and to top it all off, just when you thought someone had given Colbert strict instructions not to ask about director Woody Allen, Timberlake decides to get sentimental (with just seconds left in the segment!) and state, “I will say this, working with Woody Allen was like a dream come true.” Wow. Really? You didn’t have to say anything, at a time where actors are judged and peppered with questions about working with Allen despite the accusations against him, and that’s what you wanted to put out in the universe? My dude. No.

So what was the deal? All signs point to Jimmy Fallon. Let’s dissect:

• Timberlake was feeling the weight of betrayal, by appearing on his best bud’s direct competition. At a time when Fallon’s ratings are less than impressive, he had to be feeling guilty about drawing eyeballs over to CBS at 11:35pm instead of his comedic soulmate over at NBC. So, why? What publicist made this decision for him and exactly how angry was he about it?
• Did he intentionally bring a boring ass, lethargic tone to the show so that a) he wouldn’t be invited back again or b) could save his best material for Fallon? He’s not currently booked on Fallon through at least the middle of next week, who originally helped him announce the Super Bowl gig with a short, underwhelming video. Also worth noting: at a time when he’s promoting a movie, getting ready to release a new album, and take the world’s biggest stage at the Super Bowl, he hasn’t been invited to host SNL. In fact, he hasn’t even touched the SNL stage for nearly FOUR YEARS, with his last appearance, with Fallon, on December 21, 2013 (not including a sketch, also with Fallon, for the 40th anniversary special in 2015). For a while, it felt as though he was popping up nearly every week, with at least a handful of appearances each season.
• The last and final theory is going to be a hard one to swallow…but is Fallon the only person that can make Timberlake fun and interesting? Their chemistry is palpable and adorable, and Fallon is usually the only late night stop Timberlake commits to. Perhaps it was just odd to see him on another late night show? Between Fallon and Ellen, he’s not often venturing to other unfamiliar couches. Does he need a dorky camp sketch or a hip hop mashup to make him an interesting late night guest? That can’t be.

Colbert must have sensed that this was a one-time visit, and he took advantage of the time he had with his guest, getting him on the ground for a “Big Questions with Even Bigger Stars” segment. Staying in line with Timberlake’s complete appearance, a joke about “SexyBack” being about a neighbor’s rabbit served as the “highlight” of the sketch.

Oh right, and then that Fallon joke that was slipped in at the end, and shouting, “Hi Jimmy, we love you!” was the most enthusiastic JT got all night.

So look: it’s one thing to share a special, unique comedic connection with Fallon, that we can all at least moderately appreciate. But what’s suspicious here, is that he doesn’t share much chemistry at all with Colbert. It’s a different sense of humor, for sure, but come on. He’s like the nicest dude on TV, not to mention one of the quickest and sharpest. It should be playful and effortless to vibe with him, but something still felt off.

Had to be an Advil PM, right?

Where to watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert