Stephen Colbert accused of crossing Harvard picket line before event with Yo-Yo Ma cut short by alarm

Stephen Colbert, who publicly supported striking Hollywood writers in 2023, was accused of crossing a union picket line Thursday to join famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma at a Harvard University event that was abruptly cut short by a fire alarm.Members of the Harvard Graduate Students Union, which has been on strike since Oct.27, had urged Colbert and Ma to cancel, postpone or relocate the appearance in solidarity with workers seeking higher wages and stronger workplace protections.

The union said it contacted both performers in advance, including through their respective labor organizations, but neither withdrew from the event.The alarm sounded roughly 40 minutes into the sold-out event at Sanders Theatre, forcing Colbert, Ma and audience members to evacuate, according to Harvard Magazine.The discussion, titled "Arts for Life's Sake," had been scheduled to last 90 minutes but did not resume.OBAMA FOUNDATION WORKERS MOVE TO UNIONIZE OVER BENEFITS, WORKING CONDITIONS MONTHS AFTER CENTER OPENSStephen Colbert speaks onstage at "The Debut" Premiere during the 2026 Montclair Film Festival at MKA on Oct.

24, 2026, in Montclair, New Jersey.(Joy Malone/Getty Images)About 50 union protesters demonstrated outside the theater before and during the event, beating drums, sounding air horns and chanting slogans demanding better pay and working conditions, the outlet reported.The cause of the fire alarm remains unclear, and the union denied any involvement."The alarm was unrelated to HGSU's picketing activity and we have no knowledge of its cause," the union said in a social media statement, adding that members were relieved no one inside was at risk.Students walk through Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on April 27, 2022.

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)The union is seeking annual pay of $55,000 for research assistants and approximately $45,000 for teaching fellows on 10-month appointments, along with 3% annual raises or cost-of-living adjustments.Other deman...