Patrick Stewart’s moment with Gritty is getting online attention as the world mourns his passing
A clip of Stewart and the Flyers mascot on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" is gaining likes and reposts on social media.
Patrick Stewart’s connection to Philadelphia icon Gritty is receiving a lot of love on social media since the famed actor’s death on Wednesday.
Stewart and Gritty starred in a sketch on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in February 2019, in which the two show up for a Super Bowl party at Colbert’s house.
A clip of the sketch posted by the account BarDown on both TikTok and Instagram racked up thousands of likes and reposts.
The sketch begins with Colbert greeting Stewart at the door, with the knighted English actor expressing enthusiasm for American football before yelling: “Yee-haw! Yeah, buddy! Give me a beer!”
Gritty, who doesn’t speak, arrives moments later and stares at Colbert, who closes the door on him. Gritty then magically appears inside the house, and Stewart explains that “Gritwald G. Grittington” and he are old friends, from their days in the Royal Shakespeare Co.
Philadelphia freelance writer Patrick Rapa, who occasionally writes for the Inquirer, posted screenshots of the sketch on Bluesky.
“It’s a funny combination, and I wanted to remind people that he was more than just Star Trek,” Rapa said.
Rapa noted that Stewart was last spotted in Philadelphia in 2023, while passing through William H. Gray 30th Street Station on a book tour, prompting another round of social posts.
“It struck me as, he fit right in,” Rapa said. “The intersection of high class and lowbrow is very Patrick Stewart and I think it can be very Philly.”
Rapa said when politicians visit Philadelphia, they often find themselves in the crosshairs over how to eat a cheesesteak.
“I think Patrick Stewart would blend in — he’d have a steak, no problem,” Rapa said.
Rapa said Stewart’s performance was a testament to his range.
“He’s done more cynical stuff and he’s done comedic stuff,” he said. “I also enjoyed when he was a bad guy in Green Room or in Conspiracy Theory, because that great British accent can be used for evil as well as good, and it was fun to see.”
Rapa’s favorite moment in the sketch was when Colbert speculates that Gritty, who is holding a skull, must have played Hamlet in his acting days. Stewart corrects him, saying that Gritty played Juliet, prompting the Flyers mascot to primp his orange locks. Stewart added: “I have no idea where the skull came from.”
As the sketch ends, Gritty uses the transporter technology from Star Trek to beam Colbert to his set on The Late Show. Then Stewart accuses Gritty of violating the Prime Directive, a rule in Star Trek for the advanced Federation of Planets to not interfere with the cultures of less-advanced planets.
