After Stephen Colbert was accused of crossing a picket line at an event at Harvard University, the evening was cut short when someone pulled a fire alarm.
The former late-night host joined famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma for a conversation Thursday as part of the Arts Office’s “Learning from Performers” series.
Before the event, members of the Harvard Graduate Students Union — who have been on strike since October 27 to demand higher wages and better workplace protections — asked Colbert and Ma to move, postpone or cancel the appearance in solidarity with workers. “Please don’t cross our picket line tomorrow night!” » » wrote the union on Instagram on Wednesday.
When the two men decided to proceed with the event as planned at the Sanders Theater, dozens of Harvard employees protested outside. However, the planned 90-minute conversation ended abruptly about 40 minutes later when a fire alarm went off, Harvard Magazine reported. Colbert was then evacuated from the scene.
In a statement shared on social media, HGSU said it was not involved in the fire alarm. “The alarm was not related to HGSU picketing activities and we have no knowledge of its cause,” the union wrote. “Picket members were relieved to learn that no one inside was at risk.”
OFA director Fiona Coffey also apologized for the way the event ended in a statement to Harvard Magazine. “I am very grateful to all the students and staff who spent an enormous amount of time and energy preparing for such a special evening and I am deeply sorry that it ended in such a disappointing way,” she wrote.
The cause of the fire alarm remains unclear.
HGSU hoped Colbert would avoid crossing the picket line as he had previously done alongside protesters during the 2023 Hollywood strikes. He also co-founded the limited series comedy podcast Strike Force Five — alongside fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver — to financially help their production team and writers who were unemployed at the time.
The Hollywood Reporter has contacted Colbert and Harvard University for comment.
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