Honestly, the first two weeks of 2026 have been a lot. Stephen Colbert basically summed it up at the start of his show Thursday night, calling the start of the year a "Grade-A extra crispy cluster munch of suckitude." It's hard to argue with that.
The big focus of the Stephen Colbert monologue last night was President Trump’s recent threat to invoke the Insurrection Act. This isn't just a random legal footnote anymore; it’s a response to the ongoing ICE protests in Minnesota. Colbert, leaning into his signature mix of disbelief and sharp-edged satire, mocked the idea that sending in the military would somehow "calm everybody down."
The Insurrection Act and the Minnesota Standoff
The situation in Minnesota has been tense, with protests against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) dominating the news cycle. Trump’s response—threatening to deploy federal troops or federalize the National Guard—became the primary target of Colbert's opening.
✨ Don't miss: Mike Leigh Naked Film: Why This 1993 Masterpiece Still Stings
"I'm sure Minnesotans will just love that," Colbert joked. He quipped that protesters' signs would soon change from "ICE, go home" to "ICE, go home, then come back in a tank." It's that specific brand of Colbert sarcasm that points out the absurdity of escalating a volatile situation with heavy-handed military threats.
He didn't stop at the politics. He took a deep dive into the "fun facts" of the Insurrection Act itself. After explaining how the law allows a sitting president to deploy the military domestically to contain an "insurrection," he paused, pretended to listen to his earpiece, and corrected himself: "That fact was... not fun. My mistake."
Slipping on the Ice (Literally)
In a moment that went viral almost immediately, Colbert pivoted from the heavy legal threats to a bit of physical comedy. He replayed a clip of an actual ICE agent slipping and falling on a patch of ice in Minneapolis.
"Technically, we don't know if that guy's trained or not, but I will watch that video on a loop. That is my love language."
It was a classic "Late Show" move—finding a moment of human clumsiness to deflate a high-stakes political narrative. Colbert used it to transition into a broader point about reports that new ICE recruits were being sent into the field without sufficient training.
Greenland, Dog Sleds, and the "Paw Patrol"
The Stephen Colbert monologue last night also took a detour into international waters—specifically, the freezing waters around Greenland. Apparently, the President's obsession with acquiring the island hasn't cooled down.
Colbert's take? "In international news, no one likes us!"
He pointed to Denmark’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who confirmed that Greenland’s special forces actually include dog sled riders. The visual of the U.S. military facing off against dog sleds was too much for Colbert to pass up.
💡 You might also like: Harley Quinn and Joker Kissing: What the Movies Keep Getting Wrong
"Oh my god. We’re going to send the Marines to kill Paw Patrol," he said. He followed it up with a bit of advice for the Danish official, suggesting that if you put wine in a travel mug, "you can drink lying down." It was a funny, if slightly dark, acknowledgement of the exhaustion many feel regarding the current news cycle.
The NATO Connection and German Troops
Things got even weirder when Colbert discussed NATO’s reaction. Germany has reportedly announced they are sending troops to Greenland to protect it.
Colbert pointed out the historical irony: "Yesterday, Germany announced they are sending troops to Greenland, making it the first time in human history anyone ever said, 'Good news. The German troops are on the way!'"
Why This Monologue Hits Different in 2026
There’s a bit of a "lame duck" energy to the show lately, and for good reason. Last year, CBS announced that "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" would be ending its run in May 2026. This isn't just about a host retiring; the network is actually retiring the entire "Late Show" franchise after 33 years.
You can feel that Colbert is holding nothing back. Earlier in the week, he even told the audience that for the next few months, "the gloves are off."
He’s been more direct about his frustrations with CBS's parent company, Paramount, especially regarding their merger with Skydance. During Wednesday’s show, he even questioned why the show was being canceled for "losing money" when the company was simultaneously making multi-billion dollar offers for other media properties.
📖 Related: Why Your Friends TV Show Trivia Game Skills Are Probably Rustier Than You Think
Practical Takeaways from Last Night's Show
If you're trying to keep up with the fast-moving news reflected in the Stephen Colbert monologue last night, here’s what you actually need to know:
- The Insurrection Act is back in the conversation: This 1807 law is the mechanism the President is threatening to use in Minnesota. It’s a significant escalation in domestic policy.
- Greenland is still a thing: While it sounds like a joke, the diplomatic tension between the U.S., Denmark, and now Germany over Greenland’s status is real and growing.
- Late Night is changing: With Colbert’s show ending in May, we are seeing the final chapters of a specific era of political satire. He’s clearly using his remaining airtime to be as vocal as possible.
To stay ahead of these stories, keep an eye on the actual legal filings regarding the Insurrection Act and the official statements from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These "jokes" are often the first place people hear about very real, very complex geopolitical shifts.
For those following the Minnesota protests, local outlets like the Star Tribune are providing the most granular detail on the ground, which often gets distilled into the "Late Show" punchlines we see at 11:35 PM. Watching the monologue is a great way to catch the pulse of the day, but the real story is usually found in the boring legal documents and international press releases Colbert loves to mock.