Updated: Oct. 20, 2014 at 1:31 a.m.
This post was written by Hatchet reporter Raima Roy.
If anyone can put a funny spin on Ebola and ISIS, it’s Seth Meyers.
The 40-year-old comedian headlined Colonials Weekend on Saturday, kicking off his show with jokes about what most scares Americans.
“So what are we afraid of these days? That ISIS is going to kill more Americans? Or that Ebola is going to kill us all? Or that everyone in the whole world will get Ebola except ISIS?” Meyers asked as the crowd of mostly parents and students burst into laughter.
After the warm-up jokes, the “Late Night with Seth Meyers” host and former head writer at “Saturday Night Live” delved into personal anecdotes.
The comedian shared details of his intimate life, covering everything from the benefits of being married to a lawyer to awkward encounters with fellow celebrities.
The best thing about having a wife? According to Meyers, it’s all about the towels.
“Not only do we have different face towels and hand towels, but we have freaking decorative towels. We just have so, so, so many towels. It’s amazing,” he said.
The crowd laughed with Meyers (and often, at him) when the comedian shared memories of events that continue to embarrass him to this day, like when he met President Barack Obama at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2011.
Trying hard to “keep it cool” when going in for a handshake with Obama, Meyers said he was so nervous that he accidentally cut off his wife from shaking the president’s hand and shook it himself instead.
“I was going to shake your wife’s hand,” Obama told Meyers.
But the wittiest response his brain could come up with was, “Uh, yeah I know,” before quickly walking away.
Meyers catered to both college students and their families, cracking jokes about studying abroad in places where marijuana is legal to having an embarrassing browser history.
With such a wide range of jokes, Meyers managed to create a space for families to share laughs over common experiences.
Meyers ended the show by offering to share jokes that never made it onto “The Weekend Update,” the news satire segment on “Saturday Night Live” that he previously co-anchored.
With anecdotal jokes, a satirical take on the news of the day and a host of controversial topics, Meyers was able to bring “Saturday Night Live” experience to campus.
This post was updated to reflect the following correction:
The Hatchet incorrectly spelled Seth Meyers’ name in the headline. It is Meyers, not Myers. We regret this error.