Stephen Colbert and Will Ferrell Rickrolled viewers of The Late Show during a chaotic edition of the “The Colbert Questionert” on Tuesday night’s (April 29) show.
Ferrell joined the show to participate in the popular segment, which sees Colbert asking rapid-fire questions to get to know his guests better. Of course, the Anchorman star didn’t take the questions seriously at all, ending with the two comedians performing a hilarious rendition of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
The moment came as Colbert asked Ferrell what song he would pick if he could only listen to one song for the rest of his life. After answering “Never Gonna Give You Up,” the Saturday Night Live alum broke into a rendition of the 1980s classic, which resurged in popularity in the 2000s as the bait-and-switch “Rickroll” Internet meme.
Colbert soon joined Ferrell for the funny duet, which quickly descended into mumbling as the pair forgot most of the words. After they finished singing, Colbert asked a producer off-camera how much the performance would cost them in licensing fees. When he was told “$80,000,” he joked with Ferrell, “You’re good for that, right?”
Other questions included “best sandwich,” to which Ferrell answered, “A classic… salami and grapefruit on rye, with a light sheen of mayonnaise.”
As for “the scariest animal,” the You’re Cordially Invited star said, “The penguin… You know the old phrase, ‘Don’t turn your back on a penguin?’”
Perhaps the funniest moment was when Colbert asked if Ferrell has ever asked anyone for their autograph. “I’ve only asked one person, Vladimir Putin,” the Elf actor quipped. “He was in a rush; he was not signing that day.”
The interview also got philosophical when Colbert asked, “What happens when we die?” Ferrell said, “We turn into trees… you’re stuck as a tree… for eternity. You’re gonna witness a lot of things and contribute to the world… but you’re a tree. That’s it.”
And when it comes to his “favorite action movie,” Ferrell immediately answered, “Sense and Sensibility… the horses, the rain, the swing of doors, the loud exclamations of fancy words.”
You can watch the full segment in the video above and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, CBS