Nathan Lane, the Birdcage icon and all-around Broadway legend, just gave us everything in a chat with Stephen Colbert. From a cheeky on-set flirtation with Gene Hackman to his absolutely ruthless takedown of Donald Trump, Lane proves yet again why he’s a national treasure.
A ‘Slight Flirtation’ with a Legend
While reminiscing about The Birdcage, Lane had nothing but praise for his late co-star Gene Hackman, calling him “one of the greats of the screen.” But the real tea? A little on-screen flirtation.
“He was like Spencer Tracy, you couldn’t catch him acting,” Lane gushed. And during a scene where their characters dance to I Could Have Danced All Night, Lane threw in a cheeky ad-lib: “You know, I played Eliza in high school.” Hackman’s response? “I bet you were wonderful.” Lane described the moment as a “slight flirtation,” and honestly, same.
Trump’s Kennedy Center Chaos & Grindr Republicans
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Nathan Lane interview without some sharp political humor. When Colbert asked him about Trump’s latest antics—including taking over the Kennedy Center—Lane didn’t hold back.
“I don’t want to be a downer, but from a historical perspective, we are totally f****d,” Lane declared. He joked that Trump couldn’t resist putting his “teeny tiny baby hands” all over the Kennedy Center and mocked its new lineup: a youth choir made up entirely of Elon Musk’s children, a rap tribute to Ronald Reagan by Lee Greenwood, and The Sound of Music—but told from the Nazis’ point of view.
And the best part? Lane dragged Trump for canceling an appearance by the Gay Men’s Chorus, quipping that “the only people more upset than us are the conservative Republicans on Grindr.”
‘The Gay Golden Girls’ Arrives
Switching gears, Lane teased his new Hulu sitcom, Mid-Century Modern, which stars him, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham as a group of gay friends living in Palm Springs.
“Some people are calling it the Gay Golden Girls—which sounds redundant,” Lane joked. But let’s be real: three fabulous men living together in Palm Springs? We need this in our lives.
Mid-Century Modern drops March 28 on Hulu. And if Nathan Lane keeps serving this level of sass, we’ll be watching and taking notes.