Ghosts‘ Utkarsh Ambudkar whips out a Lord Of The Rings rap for Stephen Colbert
The actor and Freestyle Love Supreme rapper improvises some bars for J.R.R. Tolkien's 130th birthday
TV News Stephen Colbert
Viewers might know Utkarsh Ambudkar best from his stint as Mindy Kaling’s brother on The Mindy Project or his Simpsons role as the relative who finally calls out Apu’s longtime position as Springfield’s most controversially stereotypical Indian guy voiced by a white guy. (Or as himself in comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary The Problem With Apu.) But on Monday’s returning Late Show, Ghosts costar Ambudkar was all about corporate synergy (or at least making fun of network cross-series promotion), thanking network-mate Stephen Colbert, “I’m so glad that CBS forced you to have me on the show.”
With Colbert dutifully touting Ghosts’ position as “the most watched comedy” and praising his guest’s performance on the American remake of the British supernatural sitcom of the same name, Ambudkar continued his cheeky dissection of his CBS success. Noting that onscreen wife Rose McIver (the only one who sees the titular ghosts) gets to do all the funny stuff, Ambudkar said of his character, “I basically just stare off into the middle distance.” In the CBS-supplied clip, we do see Ambudkar doing a spot-on funny impression of other co-star (and possessing spirit) Rebecca Wisocky’s imperiously British Hetty.
Ambudkar, who’s also just as well known as the rapper UTK the INC in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway-conquering improv rap group Freestyle Love Supreme, also came prepared to pander to Colbert’s well-documented obsession with all things Lord Of The Rings. Calling for a beat from Jon Batiste and Stay Human, Ambudkar busted out a few rhymes in honor of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s recent 130th birthday. (Or birth anniversary, since Tolkien is not actually a hobbit and died in 1973 at the respectable human age of 81.)
Now, nobody’s saying that the multitalented Ambudkar came prepared with those lines about Legolas. (“Quiver” and “body shiver” are just sitting there, after all.) But Ambudkar, who routinely wows crowds alongside fellow Freestyle Love Supreme rappers Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Christopher Jackson, and James Monroe Iglehart, among others, certainly made his Colbert-pleasing verses sound off the cuff, especially in calling out Tolkien’s suspiciously lily-white Middle Earth. (“Where is the melanin?,” makes for a killer hook.) With Colbert showing off a photo of the LOTR-esque matching tattoos sported by the Freestyle Love Supreme crew, Ambudkar joined the ranks of Late Show guests who bring along some Tolkien-adjacent material to get on Stephen Colbert’s good side.
27 Comments
I thought he was best known for Pitch Perfect.
Rappers aren’t even trying to have cool names now, are they ?
Old Man Yells At SoundCloud.
You know I’m right, MC Fitty % Elf.
Back in my day you were not a cool rapper unless you had like 5 names. Its why the Wu-Tang clan rules supreme.
And at least one of your 5 names had to be “Ice”.
Ghosts is pretty good. More people should watch it.
The British one is so great, it’s the cozy pandemic-appropriate sitcom I didn’t know I needed.
My wife and I stumbled on it on HBO Max and never looked back, it was just so great.
The British version is available on HBO Max? Thanks for the heads up. I’ve been enjoying the American adaptation and now I definitely want to see the original series.
It is! We haven’t actually watched the American version yet because it looks pretty similar, we need more of a break. I’m glad the American one is also getting some love, though – I like a lot of the cast.
The American version has been delightful so far. The casting is great (Brandon Scott Jones as Isaac and Rebecca Wisocky seem to steal every scene they’re in, particularly). Though it definitely makes me want to see the British series ASAP. I find we Americans tend to make a muck of most British film/TV adaptations, so this series is a pleasant surprise.
Brandon Scott Jones is a treasure. His painfully few scenes in The Other Two are always fantastic.
I hope this leads to Mr. Jones getting bigger comedic roles. He never fails to make me laugh or giggle any time he is on the screen.
Yes, the British one is fantastic! I can see this one getting its legs at some point, but the biggest difference has to be the way the characters interact. Being on network TV, they have less time each episode and it seems like they haven’t figured out how to pair off characters effectively and are instead just kind of flinging them out there en masse. Maybe it’s just to drive home familiarity with the audience.
Surprisingly good. The rare instance where I like both the remake and the British original.
It’s fun to watch both and note the differences. I’m enjoying both quite a bit. I thought it’d be goofy and sorta silly, which it can be. I never expected it to have actual heart. The Pete episode was excellent!
I’m Team Caveman, my wife is Team Native American.
Mrs. F. and I are both Team Viking. It’s interesting how the ghost characters come and go episode to episode.
Caveman for me. He’s much more fun. Oh, and the plague village in the cellar!
I tried to and couldn’t get into it. Paramount Plus keeps suggesting it because I watch Evil. Maybe I should try again. I sat thru every episode of Little Sheldon.
I don’t know what that last sentence is suppose to mean, or why you’d admit it
I will give it a try
He was also the original Aaron Burr in the workshops for Hamilton before Leslie Odom took over. Talented guy.
A guide:
0:00-6:50- No LoTR freestyle.
6:51-7:01- Generic “here we go yo” filler.
7:02-7:11- One rhyme about Legolas, seen in article above.
7:12-7:43- No LoTR freestyle.
Viewers might know Utkarsh Ambudkar best from his stint asRaj, the younger, slicker, not much of a baseball fan competition to Jim Brockmire in season 2!
LOTR stuff already in January?!
Colbert’s gonna be insufferable come September. Not necessarily a criticism.