Late night hosts find justice and jokes in 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley's 41-month sentence

"Jacob Chansley, also known as the 'QAnon Shaman' from the January Capitol insurrection, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison," Seth Meyers said on Wednesday's Late Night. "Apparently it's hard to find a jury of his peers the same day there's a renaissance fair."
Yes, "the deer antler guy was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the Capitol riot," Jimmy Fallon said on The Tonight Show. "Right now he's trying to use an antler to lift the keys off a guard's belt." Also on Wednesday, President Biden made his fifth presidential trip to Michigan, this time to highlight GM's electric cars. "May not mean much to you, but right now Delaware is like, 'Who the hell is she?'" Fallon joked.
"Since the passing of his landmark infrastructure plan, Biden's been taking a victory lap — literally," Stephen Colbert said on The Late Show, showing the president test-drive a new electric Hummer.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Lately the news has been kind of repetitive and somewhat depressing, so I've got to say — and I hope this is never taken out of context — thank you QAnon," Colbert said. He ran through some of QAnon's "latest unhinged whack-job hijinks" including the "hundreds of QAnon believers" who "are still in Dallas waiting for JFK to show up" and the Chansley sentence. "Not only did Chansley commit the crime of looking like an idiot, he is one," he said. "After failing to find Mike Pence in the Capitol, he scrawled a note at the vice president's dais that read: 'It's only a matter of time, justice is coming!' Which, turns out, was a note to self." Chansley's 41-month sentence is "nearly three and a half years," Colbert added, "so with good behavior he could be out in time to storm the Capitol in 2024."
"Chansley is repentant — he gave a 45-minute speech to the court, during which he cited Jesus, Gandhi, and quoted The Shashank Redemption," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live, before pivoting to a newly invented phone your dog can use to video-chat with you. "Donald Trump doesn't have a dog — not since he broke up with Mike Pence, anyway — but he does have a MyPillow guy," Mike Lindell, who "scored a one-on-one interview with the man who will eventually bankrupt him," Kimmel added. "It was like watching a ventriloquist get interviewed by his dummy."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plunge
Speed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm markets
Speed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reports
Speed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US