Stephen Colbert Ribs Jeff Bezos and His ‘Penis Rocket’
On Monday night, The Late Show host Stephen Colbert used his opening monologue to skewer consumer habits amid yet another holiday-shopping season.
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Colbert wished his viewers a happy second night of Hanukkah, joking about going from one holiday of feasting to the next following Thanksgiving, noting that Hanukkah fell unusually early this year.
He also mentioned that Monday was Cyber Monday, which in recent years has become the Black Friday of online shopping, prompting thousands of retailers to post unbeatable deals on their ecommerce sites, encouraging shoppers to make their purchases quickly and efficiently.
Related: Cyber Monday to Determine Holiday Sales Fate
But Colbert had a special nickname for the holiday at hand. “Today is also Cyber Monday,” Colbert quipped. “AKA Buy Jeff Bezos a Second Penis Rocket Day.”
Naturally, the audience erupted in laughter at the dual reference to the mass amount of revenue Amazon’s generates and its founder’s fascination with flying into space aboard his aerospace company’s phallic New Shepard ship.
In 2020, the online retail giant reported its biggest holiday-shopping season ever, thanks to pandemic-related brick-and-mortar closures and a general preference towards shopping online amid the spread of the coronavirus.
Related: X-Rated Adult Toy Making Fun of Bezos’ Rocket Ship Garners Cheeky Response From Musk
Adobe Analytics estimated that Americans spent an impressive $10.8 billion in Cyber Monday sales last year alone, up more than 15% from the year prior.
Of course, the “penis rocket” quip comes following countless memes, jokes and commentary across social media this past summer. One adult-toy company even created well, an adult toy, inspired by the New Shepard. The product even enticed a response from rival Elon Musk, who chimed in on by simply tweeting, “Nice” in response to the news.
Colbert finished his monologue by mentioning how supply chain shortages are “still a mess” and noting that some shoppers have been “stockpiling” gifts in an attempt to avoid the shortages.
“Really smart shoppers don’t wait until Black Friday,” Colbert joked. “They started trampling people weeks ago.”
As of early Tuesday, it was reported that Cyber Monday sales for 2021 fell a bit more than 1.4% from 2020, ultimately bringing in around $10.7 billion in sales.
Related: Jeff Bezos Makes History in Successful Space Flight