Stephen Colbert tells ‘Late Show’ audience not to boo Ted Cruz during gay marriage discussion

As Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was discussing gay marriage on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” Monday, members of the studio audience began to boo. But Colbert cut them off.

“Guys, however you feel, he’s my guest, so please don’t boo him,” Colbert said, allowing Cruz to continue.

“I don’t think we should entrust governing our society to five unelected lawyers in Washington,” the Republican hopeful said of the Supreme Court’s historic decision on same-sex marriage. “Why would you possibly hand over the rights of 320 million Americans to five lawyers in Washington to say, ‘We’re going to decide the rules that govern you.’ If you want to win an issue, go to the ballot box and win at the ballot box. That’s the way the Constitution was designed.”

Cruz was among those who rushed to the defense of Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who was jailed earlier this month after she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because it violated her religious beliefs.

“Judicial lawlessness crossed into judicial tyranny,” Cruz said in a statement after Davis’ arrest. “Today, for the first time ever, the government arrested a Christian woman for living according to her faith. This is wrong. This is not America.”

Earlier in the interview, Colbert challenged Cruz’s frequent evocation of former President Ronald Reagan on the campaign trail.

“Reagan raised taxes. Reagan actually had an amnesty program for illegal immigrants. Neither of those things would allow Reagan to be elected today. So to what level can you truly emulate Ronald Reagan?” Colbert asked. “Could you agree with Reagan on those two things?”

“No, of course not,” Cruz replied. “But Ronald Reagan also signed the largest tax cut in history. He reduced government regulations from Washington. And economic growth exploded.”

Cruz was the third presidential candidate to appear on “The Late Show” since Colbert’s Sept. 8 debut. (Jeb Bush was Colbert’s second guest, and Bernie Sanders appeared on the show last week.) And that’s not counting Vice President Joe Biden, whose emotional, intimate conversation with Colbert on Sept. 10 drew raves from critics.

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is scheduled to appear on the show Tuesday. And Colbert asked Cruz if there was anything he should ask Trump on his behalf.

“I don’t know if you know this, but I’m told he’s rich,” Cruz joked. “I like Donald a lot, and if you could ask him if he could possibly consider donating $1 billion to our campaign.”