Late night hosts mourn Ruth Bader Ginsburg, flag the GOP's 'absolute typhoon of hypocrisy' in replacing her

Late night hosts on Ruth Bader Ginsburg&#039;s death

(Image credit: Screenshots/YouTube/The Late Show, The Tonight Show, The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live)

published 22 September 2020

"I like to think I can take a lot of punishment," Stephen Colbert said on Monday's Late Show. "But damn — damn! — 2020 is a relentless opponent." It was already "a dark, dirty road" to Election Day, "but on Friday it got so much worse, because our country said goodbye to a hero, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg," he said. "Ginsburg was known for her tenacity," wisdom, and fierce commitment to equality for women and all Americans.

"But Americans didn't get any time to mourn this great justice, because less than two hours after we learned of Ginsburg's death," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vowed to quickly confirm President Trump's pick to succeed her, Colbert said. "Apparently, since 2016, McConnell's had a change of heart — or whatever squirming bag of scorpions occupies that dark cavity" — and he "isn't the only fragrant hypocrite" in the GOP. He showed a highlight reel.

"Sure, the Olympics were canceled this year, but at least we have the Republicans to show off some truly spectacular backflips" on replacing Ginsburg, Jimmy Fallon said at The Tonight Show. "Republicans are just constantly changing the rules as they go — it's like playing a board game with a toddler." And Trump is already "leading chants" and "selling 'Fill That Seat' T-shirts," he added. "Seriously, this election already felt like a tense Thanksgiving dinner, now it's like your uncle just rolled in straight from rehab."

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"Trump is right" he has the votes to replace the Notorious RBG, Trevor Noah said at The Daily Show. "It's basically the 'When you're a star, they let you do it' but of judicial appointments." It's still crazy Trump "gets to name three justices who serve for life!" he marveled "This is the same guy who's had to fire everyone he's hired because of how bad he is at hiring people — for life! Trump can't even pick his own partner for life, but he gets to do it for America?"

"Now, look, I get that highlighting their hypocrisy is mostly pointless," Late Night's Seth Meyers said, but the stakes couldn't be higher, and the dice are loaded: "Senate Republicans who represent 15 million fewer Americans than Senate Democrats are pulling out all the stops to help a sundowning fascist who lost the popular vote by 3 million" cram through "a conservative supermajority to help them cement minority rule for a generation." 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.