Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and The Daily Show feel sorry for Trump's allies and coronavirus scientists
Stephen Colbert began Thursday's Late Show wishing "the insane clown president" was as willing to follow the science as the Insane Clown Posse, which just canceled this year's shows to save fans from COVID-19. The Trump administration, on the other hand, just ousted Dr. Rick Bright, "the director of the lead federal agency searching for a coronavirus vaccine," allegedly "because of his concern about Trump's coronavirus treatment theory."
"That's right, Trump fired a guy named Dr. Bright — he also let go Prof. Smarty, Dr. Savior, and Secretary Ihavethecuredontfireme," Colbert joked. But "Dr. Bright's not the only expert that Trump is shutting up."
"Trump is on quite a roll contradicting his own infectious disease experts almost every day on his daily televised temper tantrum," said Jimmy Kimmel, whose daughter did his makeup. "These poor doctors working for Trump" can't lie and can't tell the truth, he said. "So their only option is to play dumb and hope Trump gets distracted by a Filet-O-Fish or something." Kimmel found it "depressing" Trump fired Dr. Bright for trying to save Americans from hydroxychloroquine and also that "we're not even remotely surprised that he did," but he was amused at the hiring of a former Labradoodle breeder to head a U.S. coronavirus task force.
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.
The Late Show imagined the unqualified Labradoodle breeder at a coronavirus briefing.
"This White House seems to think of chaos as an essential service that they need to keep providing," Trevor Noah said at The Daily Show. But "maybe the vaccine guy is actually lucky that Trump doesn't know who the hell he is, because the people that Trump does know, they have it even worse."
So does Georgia's Republican governor, who tried to make Trump proud, unsuccessfully, by reopening the economy, Noah said. "Trump didn't just throw Brian Kemp under the bus. He basically looked up the bus schedule in advance, told Brian Kemp to meet him at the road at 3:15, and then guess who was driving? And you know, this is what you get when you roll with Donald Trump. These guys are trying so hard to suck up to him, and then when they're fully committed, bam! He can just sell you out."
If you're confused about the coronavirus, The Daily Show's Desi Lydic said, "I've been watching Fox News for 48 hours straight, and I think I'm ready to FOXplain it." Watch below. Peter Weber
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.
-
11 hotels opening in 2026 to help you reconnect with natureThe Week Recommends Find peace on the beaches of Mexico and on a remote Estonian island
-
Zimbabwe’s driving crisisUnder the Radar Southern African nation is experiencing a ‘public health disaster’ with one of the highest road fatality rates in the world
-
The Mint’s 250th anniversary coins face a whitewashing controversyThe Explainer The designs omitted several notable moments for civil rights and women’s rights
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
A peek inside Europe’s luxury new sleeper busThe Week Recommends Overnight service with stops across Switzerland and the Netherlands promises a comfortable no-fly adventure
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
