Stephen Colbert rips Matt Lauer’s Halloween costume ‘nightmare’

A lot of TV anchors got in the Halloween spirit Thursday, from George Stephanopoulos as an astronaut on “Good Morning America,� to Kelly Ripa twerking through the morning as Miley Cyrus. But no one did more to make TV viewers feel awkward than Matt Lauer on “Today,� bounding around with the plentiful cleavage of Pamela Anderson from her “Baywatch� years. And Stephen Colbert couldn’t let it pass without comment.

Colbert referred to the onslaught of news anchors in costume as part of the “War on Halloween.�

And the nadir of that war? Colbert pinpoints it at the moment Lauer burst through a banner in a stunning red one-piece, blond hair and the aforementioned, Pam Anderson-esque cleavage. Lauer did a slo-mo run across the sand in the plaza outside Rockefeller Center and the Comedy Central host described it as the moment “Halloween died.�

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Calling Lauer in costume “my waking nightmare� and saying he’s looking forward to the show’s new segment, “Where in the World is Matt Lauer’s Dignity?�

So is Colbert above all this Halloween cheer? Is the man who claims to love all things related to All Hallow’s Eve unwilling to even indulge in a little dress-up fun? Not exactly.

As Colbert revealed, “I, of course, am dressed as a sexy hobo, who, through his work ethic, pulled himself up by his bootstraps, then got a tasteful makeover.�

It’s too bad Lauer didn’t think of that one first. He could have saved on sunscreen.

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