House Speaker Paul Ryan Discovers His Jewish Roots; Stephen Colbert Offers Him Bris

While participating in the taping of an upcoming episode of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, House Speaker Paul Ryan found out that genetic testing confirmed that he is 3% Jewish.

As CNN reported,

The show's host, Henry Louis Gates Jr., shared the Wisconsin Republican's reaction to discovering his roots during a panel on Tuesday.

"You could have knocked him over with a feather and then he was very proud of it," Gates, who also serves as an executive producer on the show, said during the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles. 

A publicist for the show confirmed Gates' comments during the panel, and Ryan's upcoming appearance on the show, in an email to CNN.

"We don't know who that Jewish person was, but we know it was on his mother's German line, which makes sense," Gates continued. "So somebody who was a Christian German slept with a Jewish German person and that's where that came from."

In a tweet on Wednesday, Ryan, who is Catholic, seemingly hinted at finding out about his roots.

 "Guess I need to start saying 'L'Chaim' now, too!" he tweeted, attaching a GIF of himself holding up a drink. He did not reference the show itself in the social media post.

Late night talk show host Stephen Colbert rushed in to offer Ryan a "Bris-Stravaganza" with mohels standing by. Here's the Colbert video clip. Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Throwback Thursday Comedy Special: Alan King Interviewed by David Letterman in 1995

Alan King was one of our favorite comedians. He was funny not only in his standup routines
but just about everywhere he appeared in person or in television interviews. He made frequent appearances on the late night TV programs and gave us a candid look at the man behind the routines.

We found a video clip of Alan being interviewed by David Letterman and we're sharing it with you today. In the clip, Alan talks about his children and grandchildren, smoking cigars, and why Jews shouldn't play golf.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

#Throwback Thursday   #TBT

"Fiddler on the Roof" Cast Crashes The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City, where The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is taped, is just across the street from the Broadway Theatre, where the new version of Fiddler on the Roof is performed every day.

Both shows start around the same time and long lines form every evening around Broadway and 53rd Street. That coincidence provides the setup for a funny skit involving a Jewish family from Kansas that winds up in Colbert's audience instead of in the Fiddler audience.

What follows is sheer fun and hilarity. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)