Stephen Colbert evacuated from Harvard event after fire alarm
Stephen Colbert left Sanders Theatre at Harvard University Thursday evening after a fire alarm interrupted his conversation with cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Event ended abruptly mid-conversation
On Thursday, the ex-late-night performer met with legendary violinist Yo-Yo Ma as planned. Dozens of Harvard workers protested outside the venue while the pair decided to proceed as planned. The planned 90-minute conversation in Sanders Theatre abruptly ended about 40 minutes into the session. Someone pulled a fire alarm which caused the evening to cut short immediately.
Union asked guests to relocate
Members of the Harvard Graduate Students Union have been on strike since Oct 27 seeking higher wages. They asked Colbert and Ma to relocate or cancel the appearance in solidarity with striking workers. The union wrote on Instagram Wednesday asking people not to cross their picket line tomorrow night. HGSU stated it was not involved with the fire alarm that stopped the event.
Director apologized for ending
OFA director Fiona Coffey shared a statement apologizing for how the special evening ended disappointingly. She expressed gratitude to students and staff who spent enormous time preparing for the night. The cause of the fire alarm remains unclear according to available reports from Harvard Magazine. Colbert was evacuated from the venue after the alarm went off inside the hall.
Reported by one outlet
Only one outlet has published this. Nothing here has been checked against a second report, so read it as that outlet's account and follow the link below for the original.
Reported by
1 independent outlet. Headline as published. Links open the original report.