Stephen Colbert Plugs Sabra Hummus in 'Late Show' Debut

It didn't take Stephen Colbert long to start plugging marketers on his first night hosting CBS' "The Late Show." As part of Mr. Colbert's new set, he showed off a "cursed amulet," which started to growl. Mr. Colbert explained that in exchange for getting to host the show, he made a deal with an evil entity that included "certain regrettable compromises." The first of such compromises was giving a shout-out to Sabra hummus, which Mr. Colbert did with faux reluctance. "Not the first night, it's too soon," Mr. Coibert wailed, holding a tub of the hummus. "Ladies and gentleman the amulet commands me to inform you of the delicious taste of tonight's sponsor Sabra Red Pepper hummus made from simple fresh ingredients that bring people together one bite at a time." He then pulled out Sabra's Grab N Go pack. "Scoop up the fun," Mr. Colbert said. .@colbertlateshow Well done Stephen! Your shameless plug of our hummus is pleasing unto his Reptilian Majesty. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/ngbljSztRG Nabisco's Oreo cookies also got a plug, although it was unclear to viewers whether it was paid for, given the set-up. In the course of making fun of Donald Trump, starting with a clip in which Mr. Trump swears off eating Oreos for the rest of his life because Nabisco was cutting some jobs in Chicago and hiring in Mexico, Mr. Colbert proceeded to devour the cookies, comparing each guilty pleasure to another easy Trump joke. That was not a paid bit, a spokeswoman for Nabisco parent Mondelez said Wednesday morning. "The Late Show" garnered 73,467 tweets in the two hours around the premiere episode, according to Amobee Brand Intelligence. While Oreo did not pay to have its brand mentioned in the episode, between 11:35 p.m. And 1:35 a.m. E.T., there were 1,836 tweets around the company, more than the 1,634 tweets surrounding hummus and the just 351 about Sabra specifically. Still, according to Amobee, the overall engagement around Sabra has increased 311% today compared with yesterday. CBS Corp. Chairman-CEO Leslie Moonves even made an appearance. He sat in the audience behind a podium that had one side labeled "Mentalist" and the other "Late Show." Mr. Moonves teased that he would pull the lever and switch shows, depending on how Mr. Colbert performed. At one point he did just that, flashing to a clip of the series.

Stephen Colbert Plugs Sabra Hummus in 'Late Show' Debut

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