The late evening comedy reveals kicked off 2026 on Monday by speaking in regards to the huge information of Nicolas Maduro’s seize by U.S. forces on Saturday in Venezuela. Based on the liberal quintet, the obvious motivations for President Trump to order such a transfer have been to distract from the Epstein recordsdata and since Trump didn’t like Maduro’s dance strikes.
On ABC, Jimmy Kimmel quipped that “President Trump mentioned his New 12 months’s decision this 12 months is peace on earth, and that lasted for just below two days. If you’re questioning how unhealthy these Epstein recordsdata are for Trump; seems they’re ‘invade Venezuela unhealthy.’ That is actually the plot of the film Wag the Canine. The president will get caught in a intercourse scandal, so he assaults a smaller nation to distract us, and right here we’re, distracted.”
A bit later, the famous overseas coverage non-expert unleashed one other dud, “And naturally China may be very enthusiastic about all this. They have been taking a look at Taiwan prefer it’s a tasty little piece of dim sum, and now something goes. You possibly can simply take what you need. All of it appears very—it is nearly comedian e book loopy.”
If Kimmel thinks that China has kept away from attacking Taiwan as a result of it has respect for worldwide legislation and norms, he must cease speaking.
Because it was, over on Comedy Central, The Day by day Present’s Jon Stewart warned of potential long-term unfavorable penalties, “Look, nobody is aware of how that is going to work out. However based mostly on the US’s observe report, my guess is, we’re going to be actually blissful about it for a few weeks, after which 30 years from now, there shall be a Venezuelan leftist revolution, and the brand new authorities will level to this second as the explanation our embassy there may be on hearth, and it’ll completely smash a Democrat’s presidency. Usually, that is how this shit works.”
That will be simpler to take severely if Chavismo wasn’t already a leftist ideology. Nonetheless, Stewart would later welcome Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly to this system and, after lamenting his censure, lamented Democrats gained’t do something about it:
My query to you is, and this has been one thing that has been considerably troublesome for Democrats to really feel, there’s a helplessness, proper? What we’re listening to is, ‘You guys acquired to battle again, you bought to withstand this, you’re within the military come he acquired to withstand the unlawful orders. You are within the streets. You have to take to the streets’ and we’re taking a look at Washington and going, you have acquired Chuck Schumer going, ‘We’re very, very, it will get me—I get a little bit gassy.’ Prefer it’s it—Are you able to perceive why as an out of doors observer, it’s actually irritating and an abdication of management it appears?
Again on CBS, Stephen Colbert started The Late Present’s remaining 12 months by echoing Kimmel, “Have you learnt what this implies? These Epstein recordsdata have to be loopy! I imply, bomb one thing! Bomb something! This operation, launched simply two days into the New 12 months, got here as a shock, particularly since—and that is true — Trump’s New 12 months’s decision was ‘Peace on Earth.’ Properly, that did not final lengthy. And in consequence, neither did my decision to modify to clear liquor.”
Later, Colbert launched Maduro’s dance strikes into the discourse, “For months, the U.S. has been threatening Venezuela. However why immediately resolve to grab their president in what seems to be a violation of United States and worldwide legislation? Properly, in a world army battle of this sort, there are various elements to think about, however reportedly the final straw was Maduro’s common public dancing. Okay. That is a brand new one. Let’s check out the booty shake that launched a thousand ships.”
After a video, Colbert moved on. NBC’s Seth Meyers not less than gave extra context on Late Night time when he launched a clip of Fox Information’s Aishah Hasnie by sarcastically claimed, “I’m simply kidding, I do not really assume the president of the US began a battle over a overseas chief’s dance strikes. That’s absurd.”
Within the video, Hasnie elaborated that the dance strikes have been seen as an indication that Maduro wasn’t taking talks severely and was attempting to name Trump’s bluff, not that the dance strikes themselves led to the operation.
Nonetheless, Meyers nonetheless reacted, “So simply to be clear, Trump bombed a rustic as a result of he was anointed by overseas leaders’ dance strikes. Usually if I am aggravated by somebody’s dancing, I simply transfer to a different subway automotive.”
Earlier, Meyers’s NBC colleague, The Tonight Present’s Jimmy Fallon, echoed Kimmel and Colbert on the Epstein level, “Good luck to everybody who’s made New 12 months’s resolutions. Yeah, some individuals need to drop extra pounds whereas others need to acquire Venezuela and—. Yeah, the massive information from this weekend is that President Trump despatched U.S. troops into Venezuela to seize the nation’s president, Nicolas Maduro. Yup, the information took everybody unexpectedly. After I heard there was an operation to extract a president, I simply assumed Trump acquired caught in his tanning mattress… it seems Trump’s New 12 months’s decision was to distract everybody from the Epstein recordsdata.”
In 1989, the U.S. undertook an identical operation in opposition to Panama’s Manuel Noriega, who had additionally been indicted on federal drug costs and rigged his nation’s elections. Are the late evening reveals even conscious of that, or do they and their writers assume historical past started on Saturday?
Listed below are transcripts for the January 5-taped reveals:
ABC Jimmy Kimmel Dwell!
1/5/2026
11:41 PM ET
JIMMY KIMMEL: President Trump mentioned his New 12 months’s decision this 12 months is peace on earth and that lasted for just below two days. If you’re questioning how unhealthy these Epstein recordsdata are for Trump; seems they’re “invade Venezuela unhealthy.” That is actually the plot of the film Wag the Canine. The president will get caught in a intercourse scandal, so he assaults a smaller nation to distract us, and right here we’re, distracted. On Saturday, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his spouse have been captured by Delta Power at their residence in Caracas and delivered to New York. Trump watched the operation unfold in real-time from his bunker at Mar-a-Lago. You see, there he’s with Hegseth and Marco Rubio. This mission was known as Operation Absolute Resolve which was a title positively generated by ChatGPT.
…
And naturally China may be very enthusiastic about all this. They have been taking a look at Taiwan prefer it’s a tasty little piece of dim sum, and now something goes. You possibly can simply take what you need. All of it appears very—it is nearly comedian e book loopy. However Trump says there’s nothing mistaken with him. He mentioned the White Home medical doctors have reported he’s in good well being and that “I aced (that means, was right on 100% of the questions requested.)”
He defines the phrase “aced” like we are the ones with dementia.
***
Comedy Central The Day by day Present
1/6/2026
11:07 PM ET
JON STEWART: Look, nobody is aware of how that is going to work out. However based mostly on the US’s observe report, my guess is, we’re going to be actually blissful about it for a few weeks, after which 30 years from now, there shall be a Venezuelan leftist revolution, and the brand new authorities will level to this second as the explanation our embassy there may be on hearth, and it’ll completely smash a Democrat’s presidency. Usually, that is how this shit works. And keep in mind, the explanation MAGA was so excessive on Donald Trump was that he was the man who wasn’t going to become involved with this sort of shit anymore.
…
11:36 PM
STEWART: Below the Obama administration, they did extrajudicial killings of Americans by means of drone strikes, like, we criticized that. That’s—my level is, there may be sufficient grey space in a few of these actions—I imply, is any of this authorized beneath the—AUM—you realize.
MARK KELLY: There’s no AUMF for Venezuela proper now. No authorization.
STEWART: Proper, everyone seems to be grabbing these authorizations that got through the Struggle on Terror and justifying bombings in Libya and justifying—my query to you is, and this has been one thing that has been considerably troublesome for Democrats to really feel, there’s a helplessness, proper?
KELLY: Perceive.
STEWART: What we’re listening to is, “You guys acquired to battle again, you bought to withstand this, you’re within the military come he acquired to withstand the unlawful orders. You are within the streets. You have to take to the streets” and we’re taking a look at Washington and going, you have acquired Chuck Schumer going [Chuck Schumer voice] “We’re very, very, it will get me—I get a little bit gassy.” Prefer it’s it—Are you able to perceive why as an out of doors observer—
KELLY: I completely perceive.
STEWART: —it’s actually irritating and an abdication of management it appears?
***
CBS The Late Present with Stephen Colbert
1/5/2026
11:38 PM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: Have you learnt what this implies? These Epstein recordsdata have to be loopy! I imply, bomb one thing! Bomb something! This operation, launched simply two days into the New 12 months, got here as a shock, particularly since—and that is true — Trump’s New 12 months’s decision was [Trump voice] “Peace on Earth.” Properly, that did not final lengthy. And in consequence, neither did my decision to modify to clear liquor. I forgot. Oh, I forgot that is not a prop. Okay.
…
For months, the U.S. has been threatening Venezuela. However why immediately resolve to grab their president in what seems to be a violation of United States and worldwide legislation? Properly, in a world army battle of this sort, there are various elements to think about, however reportedly the final straw was Maduro’s common public dancing. Okay. That is a brand new one. Let’s check out the booty shake that launched a thousand ships.
***
NBC Late Night time with Seth Meyers
1/6/2026
12:44 AM ET
SETH MEYERS: I’m simply kidding, I do not really assume the president of the US began a battle over a overseas chief’s dance strikes. That’s absurd.
AISHAH HASNIE: Based on the New York Instances, they’re reporting that the dancing movies actually, you realize, Nicolas Maduro, type of behaving like he was calling the president’s bluff, actually appearing nonchalantly about these threats. And that was actually the final straw for the president, these dancing movies. That is based on that reporting to the place they lastly went in to go get him.
MEYERS: Oh, my God. We invaded Iraq due to WMDs and these and now we invaded Venezuela for WDMs, [Trump voice] “Depraved dance strikes.” So simply to be clear, Trump bombed a rustic as a result of he was anointed by overseas leaders’ dance strikes. Usually if I am aggravated by somebody’s dancing, I simply transfer to a different subway automotive. I am sorry, Showtime dancers. I am simply attempting to get to work and end the Worlde in peace. Now, let’s have a look at. What’s as we speak’s Wordle anyway? Ah, [bleep].
***
NBC The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon
1/5/2026
11:36 PM ET
JIMMY FALLON: Good luck to everybody who’s made New 12 months’s resolutions. Yeah, some individuals need to drop extra pounds whereas others need to acquire Venezuela and—. Yeah, the massive information from this weekend is that President Trump despatched U.S. troops into Venezuela to seize the nation’s president, Nicolas Maduro. Yup, the information took everybody unexpectedly. After I heard there was an operation to extract a president, I simply assumed Trump acquired caught in his tanning mattress. [Trump voice] “a little bit assist, a little bit assist.” Yeah, it seems Trump’s New 12 months’s decision was to distract everybody from the Epstein recordsdata. It was an odd weekend for 48 hours, CNN had wall-to-wall protection of Nicolas Maduro and Chevy Chase. Very odd.
