Michael Stipe Told Donald Trump To ‘Shut Up’ At Concert And This Happened

Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe recalled the time he told Donald Trump to shut up during an appearance on “The Late Show” Thursday. (See the video above.)

The future president was, not surprisingly, being rude and trying to impress a female companion, Stipe said. But Trump’s reaction was surprising.

“Because the Night” singer Patti Smith was performing in a benefit concert at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan in the late 1990s, Stipe told host Stephen Colbert. Stipe and a friend arrived late to the intimate venue to support Smith and were seated in a VIP overflow booth.

Then a “big loud guy” came in with a woman, sat next to Stipe and his friend, and kept talking during Smith’s set. Finally, Stipe had enough. He said he told Trump:

Excuse me, that’s my friend. And you have to stop talking. … Stop! … What are you doing? Shut up.

“The guy got up and left. He walked out. He took his date, who he was obviously trying to pick up, and left the club.”

Stipe had played the anecdote for suspense, not mentioning Trump’s name until the end. But it was pretty clear he was talking about Trump from the get-go.

Earlier in the Colbert interview, Stipe discussed the band’s battle to get Trump to stop using R.E.M.’s music at rallies.

“It’s a licensing problem and there’s nothing we can do except respectfully request that he not,” Stipe explained.

Fast-forward to the 5:30 mark above for the “shut up” Trump segment.