Hugh Laurie Joins Stephen Colbert for Reading of Vulgar Words

Hugh Laurie and Stephen Colbert joined forces Tuesday for a dramatic recitation of vulgar words you can say on television. That is, on basic cable.

The host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report"explained to his studio audience Monday that the four major networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX — have formally asked the Federal Communications Commission for more lenient indecency rules to gain "cultural clout" against their cable network competition, who they argue can say and do more vulgar things.

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Colbert then brought out "Award-winning British person and recovering network star" Laurie to help read through a glossary of offensive terms that are permitted by Comedy Central's parent company, Viacom, but not the big four networks.

"I fear that network audiences are simply unprepared for the rich cultural feast we serve up on cable," Colbert said, adding, "It is words such as these that the broadcast networks are spending vast amounts of time and money to have the legal right to say on our nation's airwaves."

Laurie, who also appeared on the program to discuss his blues album, began his list with "balls." Other words were "penis" and "sit on your face."

You can watch the entire segment on ColbertNation.com, but don't say we didn't warn you about the language.

Censorship in television goes back decades, and has been hilariously chronicled by late comedian George Carlin in his famous routine, "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television."

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