Late night hosts digest Kamala Harris' surprise exit from the Democratic presidential race

Late night hosts on Kamala Harris dropping out

(Image credit: Screenshots/YouTube/The Tonight Show, The Daily Show)

"The big story is that Senator Kamala Harris has dropped out of the presidential race," Jimmy Fallon said on Tuesday's Tonight Show. "Apparently, this weekend, Kamala saw Joe Biden bite his wife's finger in public and thought, 'There's no way I can beat this guy.' Actually, Kamala broke the news to her staff over the phone — they had a feeling she might be quitting when the caller ID said Cancun."

"A lot of people were surprised Kamala dropped out — Andrew Yang was like, 'How the hell did I last longer than Kamala Harris?" Fallon said, cracking some other jokes about the Democrats still running. "Now that Kamala is out of the race, it looks like we're one step closer to President John Delaney," but at least Harris can consider "taking some time off and maybe getting her hearing back after standing next to Bernie Sanders at three debates."

Trevor Noah noted that Harris had actually qualified for the next debate, and reminded everyone that that Marianne Williamson is still running. "I don't think anybody saw this coming," he said on The Daily Show. "Because when this race started, she was one of the favorites." He compared Harris to Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones, and he was apparently unhappy with how that show ended.

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"What's been really interesting for me is to see the conversations that have been sparked by Kamala dropping out," Noah said. "Some people say it proves that even in the Democratic Party, black women don't have the support that they deserve. But others say there wasn't enough 'black girl magic' to erase Kamala's record as a prosecutor. In a way, i think it's a little bit of both. All I know is, Cory Booker, I'm gonna say a phrase you've probably never heard before in your life: You are now the blackest person in the room. Don't let us down, Cory!" Watch below. Peter Weber

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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.