5 Last-Minute Halloween Costumes for "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Fans

You've spent way too much time watching Colbert videos, and now you're stuck without a costume idea for Saturday night. Don't worry: The Late Show is full of inspiration for television nerds like you.

1. Modern Philosopher

youtube.com / Via youtube.com

Supplies: Foamcore, artificial turf, plaid blanket, stapler.
Mount your patch of lawn and your blanket to something stiff, strap it on as your own personal backdrop, stare off into the distance, and start posing some of life’s “Big Questions.” You never know who might saddle up next to you to answer. It could be Tom Hanks or Scarlett Johansson!

2. Stephen’s Biggest Fan

instagram.com

Supplies: Hand stamp, ticket, comfortable shoes.

Haven’t been to a Late Show taping yet? It’s easy to pretend, and you can even be first in line! On the back of your hand, draw one of the four hand stamp designs the audience coordinators give out (CBS logo, cartoon Stephen, and two different LSSC logos). Then on a 1”x1” square piece of paper, print your preferred taping date, along with a nice big “#1” as your reward for arriving bright and early. Voila: you’re ready to spend your afternoon proudly waiting under the Late Show marquee, answering tourists' questions about how you got your tickets. (For added effect, sit on the ground and eat out of a take-out bag from the Steak & Shake next door to the theater.)

3. Scary Drifter

Stephen Colbert @StephenAtHome

Halloween Idea: @Time Scary Drifter Mask. #ISwearItsAComedyShow #LSSC https://t.co/q4oO8IWPDr

02:08 PM - 28 Aug 2015

Supplies: TIME magazine cover, scissors

Move over, Grimmy: there’s a new face of death in town. This suggestion comes from Stephen himself. While some fans think he looks perfectly distinguished in his September TIME magazine cover photo, he sides with the corpse resemblance. (“People are dying to get on that cover. I apparently did.”)

4. Jon Batiste on Halloween

Supplies: Red Power Ranger costume, melodica

On a recent episode, Stephen’s bandleader let us in on his big plans to dress as the red Power Ranger this Halloween. But it’s tough to imagine Jon without his melodica nearby, so why not meta this up? Instead of going as Jon for Halloween, go as Jon on Halloween. If you’re trick-or-treating, feel free to just stand at people’s doors and yell “YEAH.”

5. Presidential hopeful J.K. Simmons

CBS / Via youtube.com

Supplies: Screencap, printer, scissors, string.

Stephen's graphics of the presidential hopefuls are so crowded, that he was recently able to sneak non-candidate J.K. Simmons into the middle of one without the audience noticing. Now you can pretend that you too haven't thrown your hat in the ring. Just blow up a screencap of the bit in question, remove J.K.'s face, put yours through the hole, and wait for everybody at the party to instantly recognize that "hey, you're J.K. Simmons!"