Stephen Colbert is fed up, and he’s not taking it anymore.
The late-night host delivered an angry, pointed diatribe against Republicans, U.S. President Donald Trump and Fox News in a live monologue on The Late Show on Wednesday night, following a chaotic and upsetting day in Washington, D.C.
In an attempt to block the peaceful transfer of power to incoming President-elect Joe Biden, thousands of rioters and Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building. Four people died, including a woman who was shot by law enforcement.
A visibly furious Colbert started his pointed monologue by saying he’s “rarely been as upset as I am tonight.”
“Have you had enough? After five years of coddling this president’s fascist rhetoric, guess whose followers want to burn down the Reichstag?” he asked, specifically directing the questions to Republican members of Congress.
“Who could have seen this coming? Everyone! Even dummies like me,” he continued, occasionally pointing his finger at the camera. “This is the most shocking, most tragic, least surprising thing I’ve ever seen.
“For years now, people have been telling you cowards that if you let the president lie about our democracy over and over and then join him in that lie and say he’s right when you know for a fact that he is not, there will be a terrible price to pay. But you just never thought you’d have to pay it too.”
He then targeted Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who was caught on camera with his fist raised as he entered the Capitol building before the chaos.
“Raising your stupid fist to the mob outside the Capitol,” Colbert said, “It’s like Black Power but the opposite. There really should be a name for that. And obviously, he has to keep his fist closed, because if he opened it, you’d see all the blood on his hands.”
He goes on to lambast Fox News, sarcastically asking if “maybe years of peddling (Trump’s) conspiracy theories had anything to do with this?”
“Now I’ve said before, violence is the last refuge of the incompetent,” he said later on.
“When all of those Republicans, who, make no mistake, are responsible for what happened today and are running for reelection (in 2022), let’s remember them for who they showed themselves to be today: cynical cowards who believe the voters should not get to choose who governs this country. Let’s hope the voters prove them all wrong.”
‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ airs on weeknights on Global at 11:35 p.m. ET.