‘Hello, Ukraine? You up?’: Late-night hosts take on the impeachment inquiry
What happened? What does it mean? These late-night hosts have some answers — but more jokes.
When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi addressed the nation just as the standard workday came to a close Tuesday, late-night television writers and producers across the country must have frozen. An impeachment inquiry? Just hours before airtime?
But, based on the quips the usual late-night suspects got in about the president’s newest hurdle, the afternoon bombshell didn’t shake them too much. Here’s what the late-night hosts had to say.
‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’
To get started, here’s Seth Meyers’s condensed story of the allegations that landed President Trump in front of this inquiry and what his reaction to them might mean.
Meyers explained that the nation ended up here after Trump denied reports that he withheld military aid from Ukraine to pressure the country to investigate Joe Biden and his family.
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“He denied it, and that’s how you know he did it,” the comedian joked. “Not because he always lies — because that story is too weird and confusing to just deny.”
“If someone told you, ‘Hey, people are saying you withheld military aid from Ukraine to force an investigation into Joe Biden.’ You wouldn’t say, ‘No I didn’t,’” Meyers reasoned. “You’d say ‘Wait, what?’”
‘The Daily Show with Trevor Noah’
Trevor Noah posed the possibility of Trump facing articles of impeachment, which the comedian said might bother the president for reasons beyond the obvious.
“After two years of avoiding it, Trump may finally face articles of impeachment,” Noah said. “Which, believe me, he is not happy about. It’s impeachment, which Trump hates, plus articles, which he hates even more.”
‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’
Stephen Colbert said the idea that foreign powers shouldn’t be involved in American elections seems to have evaded Trump, even after the Russia investigation.
“He just moved one country over!” the comedian joked, adopting his Trump impersonation for a fake phone call.
“OK, no collusion with Russia. OK. Hello, Ukraine? You up? For interfering with our election? No? No you don’t want to do that? Okay, do you have Poland’s number?”
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
Jimmy Kimmel addressed Pelosi’s previous reluctance to announce an impeachment inquiry after scandals and allegations against the president.
“But, once again, Donald Trump is doing what he does best: forcing a woman to do something she didn’t want to do,” Kimmel said.
‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’
Jimmy Fallon, donning his Trump best, orange tan and all, stood behind a faux presidential podium to address the news.
“I guess it’s like the old saying,” he said, impersonating Trump. “Collude once, shame on you. Collude twice, why not collude a third time?”
Fallon feigned the president coming to a realization.
“Now I’ll have to face off against America’s least-fun grandma, Nancy Pelosi,” he said.
‘The Late Late Show with James Corden’
James Corden also had a new take on a well-known saying, though his was a little more pointed toward what he thinks Pelosi’s announcement actually means — if anything.
“’Work with a foreign government to undermine a democratic election once, shame on you,” Corden said. “Do it twice, we are going to inquire about the possibility of doing something this time — maybe, we’ll see — possibly. I don’t know.”
