Late night hosts lightly try to square the GOP's Liz Cheney purge with its avowed hatred of 'cancel culture'


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
"Today, House Republicans voted to kick Liz Cheney out of her leadership role," Jimmy Fallon said on Wednesday's Tonight Show. "Man, Republicans haven't turned on someone this fast since they tried to murder Mike Pence. You could tell Dick Cheney was upset when he offered to take House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on a hunting trip to 'talk it over.'"
"I'm confused, I thought these guys hated 'cancel culture,'" Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live. Cheney "said today she'll do everything she can 'to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.' You know she's used to this. Her dad was a Dick, too."
"Remember, she said she'll do 'everything' — and she's a Cheney!" Stephen Colbert said at The Late Show. "Her principle political patron is a man who was compared to Darth Vader — and took it as a compliment. She learned Washington infighting from a man who lived a year with no heartbeat. If I was Kevin McCarthy, I'd grow a beard and dig a spider hole."
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.
Instead, McCarthy and other House Republicans played the victim, Colbert said. "Railing against 'cancel culture' right before you cancel someone for holding a different opinion is like shooting a 'Just Say No' commercial then celebrating by doing a line of coke off of Nancy Reagan's a--."
Republicans are "like Dorothy at the end of Wizard of Oz: It turns out the cancel culture you were looking for was right there inside you all along," Late Night's Seth Meyer joked. "Liz Cheney is among the very last people in the world I want to side with," but "this is not about heralding her as a hero, because she isn't one. It's about the GOP's hard turn against Democracy. She's being punished for pointing out that Trump lost and that his claim that he won is a big lie."
"I respect Liz Cheney taking a stand against Trump, but it does feel a little less threatening when she's doing it as she's being removed from power," Trevor Noah said at The Daily Show. "It's got the vibe of a villain falling into a volcano while saying 'This isn't over....!'" It's over, and to show where the GOP is headed, Noah profiled Cheney's replacement, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). "Stefanik surrendered her principles, her dignity, and even her voice to Donald Trump," he said. And honestly, "it seems like it was kind of worth it." Peter Weber
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.
-
5 tips to save on heating bills
The Explainer Follow these expert recommendations for a cozy and cheap winter
By Becca Stanek Published
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.
The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
By Becca Stanek Published
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Exodus begins from Burning Man after desert mud trapped tens of thousands
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
'Margaritaville' singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
American Airlines suing website that offers tickets via price loopholes
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Federal agencies investigating near miss between Southwest jet and private plane
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies at 70
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Trader Joe's recalls 4 products in a week amid reports of rocks and insects inside food
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Emmys to be postponed for first time since after 9/11 due to strikes
Speed Read
By Brendan Morrow Published