Colbert Fails to Understand What CNN+ Is as Anderson Cooper Tries His Best to Explain

Stephen Colbert poked fun at CNN+ while interviewing CNN+ star Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night.

Cooper joined Colbert to promote the shows he is hosting on the new CNN streaming service, including Parental Guidance and Full Circle, but received some perhaps unexpected ribbing from the Late Show host.

“Explain this to me please, if you don’t mind,” Colbert said. “What is CNN+?”

Colbert went on to note that while he sees advertisements for the streaming service on CNN, “That’s not CNN — that’s plus.”

He continued that viewers can watch Disney on the company’s streaming service Disney+, but you can’t watch regular CNN programming on CNN+.

“If I go to CNN, I don’t get CNN, I get plus,” a befuddled Colbert said, prompting Cooper to note that the service provides viewers with original content from CNN personalities.

CNN+, a subscription-based streaming service that launched last week, offers original content unique from CNN, the cable news channel. That’s because exclusivity deals between cable providers and CNN’s parent company WarnerMedia (soon to be merged with Discovery) prevent CNN from putting its cable shows on a direct to consumer video platform.

“You get CNN. You get CNN people,” Cooper said. “You get me, you get Wolf Blitzer, you get Jake Tapper, you get Don Lemon, and you get a whole bunch of other interesting people.”

The comment prompted Colbert to again ask Cooper if one can watch CNN on CNN+.

“You can watch other stuff from CNN,” Cooper said before taking a long pause. “Other than … ”

“Other than CNN,” Colbert said, finishing the anchor’s sentence.

Cooper continued to explain that one can still view original newscasts on CNN+, including one from Blitzer, before plugging his own show Parental Guidance. 

Watch above, via CBS.