Mutton chops? Check.
Cigarettes? Check.
Ridiculously large-framed glasses? Check.
Stephen Colbert pulled out all the ’70s stops on Monday for an episode dedicated entirely to commemorating the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s resignation.
After a brief introductory segment outlining the highlights of what he — and only he — refers to as Watergate Gate™, the host transitioned into the retro-themed and ample-titled, “The Colbert Report Special Report: Scandal At The White House: A Nation Betrayed – A Fond Look Back ’74.”
Newly outfitted with the aforementioned chops, glasses and ever-present cigarettes, Colbert reported on the Watergate break-in, then interviewed two people who had been close to Nixon during his presidency, Pat Buchanan and John Dean.
We’re not sure what surprised us most: realizing once again that newscasters used to chain smoke on air, or hearing Pat Buchanan unapologetically admit he thinks Nixon should have destroyed the tapes before they got out.