It’s one thing to make a slip of the tongue—but pretending not to know what your own MRI was for? That’s where even satire starts writing itself. Late-night hosts didn’t hold back after Donald Trump unleashed an ableist insult and tried to brush off renewed doubts about his mental sharpness. Let’s just say Thanksgiving weekend turned out to be less about gratitude and more about disbelief.
Jon Stewart Takes Aim
Kicking off the week, Jon Stewart roasted the former president for calling Minnesota’s governor Tim Walz “seriously retarded” in a Truth Social post. “On Thanksgiving?! Are you mixing that up with Festivus?” he joked on The Daily Show, shaking his head at the timing and tone of the remark.
When reporters later asked Trump if he regretted it, he doubled down instead—accusing Walz of being the one with “something seriously wrong.” Stewart’s response was scathing: “You were surrounded by family, full of turkey and pie, and your first instinct was to blast out a slur? And he’s the one with the problem?” he fumed.
The comedian mocked how journalists spent their holiday hovering near Mar-a-Lago for updates on Trump’s behavior. “They couldn’t even go home after that—they had to fly back with him and pretend to ask serious questions!” Stewart ranted.
But the controversy deepened when Trump tried to calm worries about his cognitive health by claiming he didn’t even know what his recent MRI was scanning. “It wasn’t the brain,” Trump said confidently. “I aced a cognitive test, remember?” Stewart’s laughter turned to disbelief: “That’s not physically possible. You go to a doctor, lie in a big noisy tube for 45 minutes, and you don’t ask what it’s for? What did you think it was—a louder tanning bed?”
The host joked further about Trump claiming a “perfect score” on the MRI. “Sure, that’s how MRIs work—they stamp ‘Perfect!’ on your forehead, or maybe just write ‘See me’ in red ink,” Stewart deadpanned.
Colbert’s Cutting Commentary
Stephen Colbert joined in on The Late Show, saying that even Trump’s loyal base was finally realizing how he treats them. Referring to a report that Trump built a luxurious ballroom instead of focusing on voter concerns, Colbert quipped, “The whole purpose of that ballroom is to serve the poor—and they’ll be delicious.”
He also slammed Trump for his trademark Thanksgiving behavior: posting anti-immigrant rants while tossing in ableist language for good measure. When Governor Walz replied, “Release the MRI results,” Trump agreed—but quickly added that he didn’t know which part of his body had been scanned. Colbert couldn’t resist: “Maybe the broken part is the one that’s supposed to know.”
To clean up the mess, the White House released a letter from Trump’s doctor explaining the MRI was part of a routine “cardiovascular and abdominal” check-up for his age group. “Fair,” Colbert conceded, before landing a punchline: “Men his age also benefit from retirement—maybe that’s the next prescription?”
Kimmel’s Merciless Humor
Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel wasn’t pulling any punches either. “See? He can act presidential when he wants to,” Kimmel quipped, sarcastically praising Trump’s Thanksgiving insult. “And to think, he never got that Nobel Peace Prize—what a shocker.”
When Trump later insisted on Air Force One that there was “something wrong” with Walz, Kimmel called it “a bold statement from the president of the eighth grade.” He piled on, mocking Trump’s claim that his approval ratings had “never been higher.” With a dismal negative 60% rating, Kimmel noted, “There are gas station bathrooms on Yelp doing better than that.”
The host also called out Trump’s reported plan to pardon Juan Orlando Hernández, the ex-president of Honduras convicted of helping traffic massive quantities of cocaine. “So let me get this straight,” Kimmel said. “He attacks random Venezuelans at sea but pardons the guy who built a cocaine superhighway to the U.S.? Seems consistent!” Then, with a shrug, he added, “But hey, as Trump might say, haters gonna hate.”
Kimmel wrapped up with one last jab: “He promised to pardon kingpins and build a dance hall—and you know what? Promises made, promises kept.”
But here’s where it gets controversial: If late-night hosts are the ones holding political leaders most accountable for inconsistencies and insensitivity, what does that say about today’s media and public discourse? Do these comedic takedowns bring real accountability—or just entertainment? Where do you stand on that?
