In a week filled with eyebrow-raising political maneuvers and bizarre environmental discoveries, late-night television hosts Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers brought their signature wit to bear on the latest controversies surrounding former President Donald Trump’s administration. From attempts to rewrite history at the Smithsonian to firing key government officials for unfavorable data, the hosts unpacked a series of events that underscore a broader pattern of obfuscation. Meanwhile, Meyers couldn’t resist diving into a peculiar story about radioactive wasps, offering a darkly comedic lens on an increasingly surreal news cycle.

Stephen Colbert: Rewriting History and Firing Messengers

On Monday’s episode of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert opened with a sardonic take on the Trump administration’s apparent disdain for inconvenient facts. “Knowledge? Forget about it,” Colbert quipped, addressing reports that the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History had altered an exhibit under pressure from the White House. The museum, according to sources, removed references to both of Trump’s impeachments—one tied to his efforts to pressure Ukraine and the other linked to the January 6 Capitol riot. The change left the exhibit stating that only three presidents have faced serious impeachment proceedings, downplaying Trump’s record as the only president impeached twice.

The audience erupted in boos at the news, prompting Colbert to jest, “Oh, now you’re interested in the American history museum? Where was this passion when your dad planned that family trip to Washington, D.C.?” His humor quickly turned sharp as he criticized the White House’s influence over the Smithsonian, likening it to a fictional exhibit rewrite claiming late-night rival Jimmy Kimmel sparked the Vietnam War. “If you’re going to fabricate presidential history, at least make it entertaining,” Colbert said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

The Smithsonian’s decision to bow to political pressure reflects a broader trend of historical revisionism, Colbert argued. By erasing Trump’s impeachments from the exhibit, the administration appears intent on sanitizing its legacy. “This isn’t just about one display,” he said. “It’s about controlling the narrative of what America remembers.”

Colbert then pivoted to another alarming development: Trump’s abrupt dismissal of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioner following a report that painted a grim picture of U.S. job growth. The BLS data revealed that the Trump era has overseen the weakest job market performance since the COVID-19 pandemic, a statistic that evidently stung the former president. “Firing the messenger doesn’t create jobs,” Colbert deadpanned, noting the irony of the move. “Now there’s one less person employed.”

The host underscored the broader implications of such actions, warning that manipulating economic data could undermine confidence among investors, businesses, and the public. “When you start fudging numbers, you erode trust,” Colbert said. “And trust is the foundation of any functioning economy.” He painted a vivid picture of a government allergic to accountability, where bad news is met not with solutions but with pink slips.

Colbert also took aim at a more ostentatious Trump project: a proposed $200 million White House ballroom adorned with gold chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling windows. While acknowledging that presidents often leave their mark on the White House—citing the Obamas’ vegetable garden, Truman and Nixon’s bowling lanes, and a tongue-in-cheek reference to Jimmy Carter’s “sex dungeon”—Colbert criticized Trump’s lavish plans as tone-deaf. He reserved particular scorn for Trump’s decision to pave over the historic Rose Garden with concrete to accommodate more seating. “Roses are red, concrete is white, this place looks like a parking lot now,” he quipped, mimicking a poet’s lament.

Seth Meyers: Radioactive Wasps and Economic Evasion

Over on Late Night, Seth Meyers offered his own blend of humor and incredulity, starting with a bizarre report from South Carolina. A wasp nest discovered at a former nuclear bomb material site was found to have radiation levels 10 times higher than regulatory limits. “My bug spray’s already useless, and now this?” Meyers joked, feigning exasperation. The story, while absurd, raised serious questions about environmental oversight at decommissioned nuclear sites.

Meyers couldn’t resist probing the oddity further. “Ten times higher than what’s allowed? Is there a safe level of radiation for wasps?” he asked, riffing on the idea of a regulatory “sweet spot” where a wasp sting might turn a child into a superhero. The bit served as a comedic palate cleanser before Meyers tackled heavier fare, admitting, “I’m lingering on this wasp story because the rest of the news is grim, and I’m stalling.”

One such grim story was a product recall involving High Noon vodka sodas mistakenly labeled as Celsius Astro Vibe Sparkling Blue Razz energy drinks. Meyers seized on the absurdity of the mix-up, quipping, “If you can’t trust Celsius Astro Vibe Sparkling Blue Razz, what can you trust?” He speculated, half-seriously, that the mislabeled concoction might explain the radioactive wasps, suggesting a world where energy drinks and alcohol could fuel both human and insect chaos. “In these times, I need two things: energy and a slight buzz,” he said, embracing the absurdity of the moment.

Meyers then circled back to Trump’s firing of the BLS commissioner, echoing Colbert’s concerns about the administration’s allergy to bad news. The BLS report had revealed stagnant job growth, a reality Trump sought to obscure by ousting the official responsible for the data. “Trump doesn’t solve problems; he buries them,” Meyers said, calling the move a hallmark of “corrupt autocracy.” He warned that such tactics—firing those who deliver unfavorable truths or dangling pardons to escape scandals—are unsustainable. “These stories don’t vanish,” Meyers concluded. “They fester, like a guy stung by a thousand radioactive wasps.”

A Pattern of Denial

Both hosts painted a picture of an administration obsessed with controlling narratives, whether through altering museum exhibits or silencing economic reports. Colbert and Meyers highlighted the dangers of such actions, from eroding public trust to destabilizing institutions that rely on accurate data. Their humor, while biting, served to underscore the stakes: a democracy where facts are malleable risks losing its moorings.

The radioactive wasp story, though seemingly a tangent, offered a fitting metaphor for the broader chaos. Just as a contaminated nest signals deeper environmental failures, the administration’s efforts to rewrite history and suppress data point to a systemic disregard for truth. As Colbert put it, “What you thought you knew is just history.” For Meyers, the absurdity of radioactive wasps mirrored a news cycle where the surreal has become routine.

As the 2024 election looms, these late-night critiques resonate beyond the studio audience. They reflect a growing unease with attempts to manipulate the public record and dodge accountability. Whether it’s a gold-plated ballroom or a fired statistician, the Trump administration’s actions suggest a preference for optics over substance—a strategy that, as Meyers noted, is already backfiring.