Late-Night Hosts Lampoon Trump's Iran Strategy and Surgeon General Nominee
On Thursday night, late-night television hosts Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert delivered sharp commentary on pressing political issues, including escalating US-Iran tensions, Donald Trump's controversial business history, and the nomination of a wellness influencer as the next US surgeon general. Their monologues blended humor with critical analysis, highlighting perceived inconsistencies and absurdities in current events.
Seth Meyers Fact-Checks Trump's Iran Deal Claims
Seth Meyers opened his segment by addressing President Trump's criticisms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, where Trump claimed it was incompetently negotiated. Meyers countered this by listing Trump's multiple business failures, such as Trump Airlines, Trump Vodka, Trump Steaks, Trump Vitamins, and Trump: The Game. He sarcastically remarked, "Your companies went bankrupt six times," questioning Trump's credibility on deal-making. Meyers also mocked the efficacy of US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in June 2025, part of "Operation Midnight Hammer," which reportedly only set back Iran's nuclear efforts by six months. He quipped, "All that for six months? Are you sure it wasn't 'Operation Midnight Love Tap'?"
In response to questions about the attacks, Meyers highlighted a statement from Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, who compared the situation to car accidents and bone obliteration. Meyers dismissed this as confusing, saying, "Nothing is a bigger bummer when someone throws a 'you know' into a sentence and you have no idea what they're talking about." He concluded by criticizing Trump's team, stating, "These guys speak like they've been hit on the head with a midnight hammer."
Jimmy Kimmel Criticizes Epstein Hearing and Squatty Potty Scandal
Jimmy Kimmel focused on the "ridiculousness" of a House hearing questioning Hillary Clinton's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, despite minimal evidence linking her to the case. He noted that Clinton was questioned for over six hours on unrelated topics like UFOs and Pizzagate, remarking, "These people couldn't get a job running a Chuck-E-Cheese, let alone Pizzagate." Kimmel also played a video showing a friendly encounter between Epstein and Trump, implying hypocrisy.
Additionally, Kimmel discussed the arrest of Robert Edwards, co-inventor of the Squatty Potty, for allegedly buying child sexual abuse material. He joked, "Who could have ever guessed that this man might possibly be a weirdo," showing a photo of Edwards demonstrating the product. Kimmel added, "I'm not sure how prison works, but I'm pretty sure it's not a good idea to get locked up for child pornography and be the Squatty Potty guy at the same time."
Stephen Colbert Mocks War Preparations and Surgeon General Nomination
Stephen Colbert began by commenting on Trump's State of the Union address, noting a 11% drop in ratings and quipping, "If I were CBS, I'd cancel him." He then shifted to Middle East tensions, highlighting a botox cheating scandal at a camel beauty contest before addressing US-Iran relations. Colbert played a clip of special envoy Steve Witkoff claiming Iran was close to having bomb-making material, contradicting Trump's earlier assertion that US strikes had "completely obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities. Reacting to a Politico headline about war preparations, Colbert said, "America is not preparing for war. America is going with some friends to see Scream 7. Can we put a pin in war for now?"
Colbert also critiqued Trump's nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, a wellness influencer he described as a "white lady on the internet who owns a blender." Noting that Means lacks an active medical license, Colbert joked, "If we're going to pick a surgeon general who isn't licensed, why not go with Noah Wyle?" His commentary underscored concerns about the administration's decision-making processes.
