Late Night Show Hosts Address Trump’s Response To Charlottesville

Ever since the boom of Late-night shows, it has become one of the best sources for unfiltered, often humor-tinged news on current events. Hosts have been going head to head with these events through blunt jokes, sharp remarks, and dank meme-like portrayals. Because of this, the usual cloud of the 24-hour news cycle is broken by these hosts’ different take on what’s happening all over the world. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that late-night programs took this weekend’s violent racism in Charlottesville seriously—by reacting directly at what President Donald Trump’s response was on the attacks.

Trump on Charlottesville: ‘I like to know the facts.’

In a report by USA Today, Trump recently gave a press conference on the Charlottesville incident and asserted that “left wing protesters are just as violent as white supremacists.” His statement set off a huge firestorm and prompted various media personalities—especially the late night hosts—to comment and address the issue.

Trump’s statement comes just after a day he condemned white supremacists for their racially-motivated attacks in the Virginia city. In his press conference, he redacted his previous statement and blamed both sides were to blame for the violence that happened. “What about the alt-left that came charging at the–as you say–alt-right?” Trump told reporters in an impromptu press conference at the Trump Tower. “Do they have any semblance of guilt? What about the fact they came charging with clubs in their hands?”

According to Trump, he didn’t want to make a generalization as he condemned the act. Trump “didn’t know all the facts” about the alleged white supremacist who drove through counter-protesters and killed one person while injuring 19 others.

Late Night Hosts Take A Stand For Charlottesville

The usual laughter and fun-filled night on these late shows were interrupted to make way for the hosts’ addressing the conflict. It’s both startling to see the funny hosts suddenly break their character to deliver a serious message that condemns the Charlotte racism attacks.

Here’s what went down on a usual fun evening on late night television.

Stephen Colbert Denounces Nazis on ‘The Late Show’

Before Charlottesville,”The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert nabbed an interview with Trump’s former communications director, Anthony Scaramucci. But as “Mooch” attempted to rebuild his credibility during the show, Colbert centered his questions on Trump and Charlottesville, wondering why it was so hard for Trump to condemn white supremacy.

“It is difficult to express how heartbreaking it is to see something like this happening in our country,” Colbert said, “but here’s one thing that’s not difficult to express: Nazis are bad. The KKK, I’m not a fan!” he then paused for effect amidst applause and shrugged. “That wasn’t hard. That was easy.”

Jimmy Kimmel Wonders Why Trump Was Reluctant To Condemn White Supremacists

“We went into the weekend worrying about Kim Jong Un starting a war,” Kimmel said in his opening spiel, “and came out of it wondering if our president is cutting eye holes out of his bedsheets.”

Similar to Colbert, Kimmel also focused on Trump’s statement which lacked a little bit of condemnation. “The one thing he decides to be quiet about is this,” Kimmel said. “There were two sides, not many sides — and one of those sides had Nazis on it. All he had to do was condemn the Nazis! It shouldn’t have been a difficult thing.”

Jimmy Fallon Horrified By The Charlottesville Attacks and Trumps Reaction on ‘The Tonight Show’

“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” is an apolitical show on NBC. However, Fallon took the time to break character not to laugh, but to say how horrified he was by the events that happened and how Trump failed to condemn every single entity involved in the hate attack. He found the protest and its aftermath “disgusting.”

“The fact that it took the president two days to come out and clearly denounce racists and white supremacists is shameful. And I think he finally spoke out because people everywhere stood up and said something. It’s important for everyone — especially white people — in this country to speak out against this. Ignoring it is just as bad as supporting it,” Fallon said, after sharing how much he hates to think that his daughters might grow up in a world where hate is the norm.

Seth Meyers Criticizes Trump’s Vague Response

Seth Meyers is known for being straightforward when it comes to issues and controversies surrounding the Trump administration. In his latest episode, Meyers took 14 minutes of his airtime to have a “closer look” at Trump’s response and the lack of ambiguity thereof.

“It shouldn’t take longer for the president to do the right thing than it takes to get a package from Amazon,” Meyers marveled. “In fact, it would’ve taken less time to literally order a DVD copy of Do the Right Thing.”

He also slammed Trump by saying that it’s still up to the people to decide whether or not Trump is “a normal and decent person.” Meyers then concluded his statements by saying, “you can stand for a nation, or you can stand for a hateful movement. You can’t do both. And if you don’t make the right choice, I am confident that the American voter will.”