Stephen Colbert, despite feeling unwell, dedicated a portion of his Wednesday night monologue to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s peculiar workout video with Kid Rock, dubbing it 'senior softcore'. The host, who joked he was 'on enough steroids to be named the secretary of health and human services', played a clip of the 'Rock Out Work Out' video featuring shark attacks, taxidermized bears, and American flags.
Colbert quipped: 'Why does this make you feel like you dropped acid at a Cracker Barrel?' He commented on Kennedy's attire, particularly his tight jeans, questioning why the health secretary was working out in them. 'What is the deal with his jeans?' Colbert asked, noting that the video resembles 'less like two friends working out, and more like RFK Jr picked up a drifter at the carnival as he's fattening him up to eat.'
Shifting to lighter news, Colbert discussed Punch, a six-month-old macaque that went viral for cuddling a Djungelskog orangutan plushie from Ikea after being rejected by his mother. Colbert revealed he purchased the $19.99 stuffed toy for comfort, eliciting applause from the audience.
Colbert also paid tribute to civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who died at age 84, calling him 'a compassionate leader, something we're in short supply of these days.' The host then referenced an Economist/YouGov poll showing 47% of Americans believe Donald Trump is racist, with 49% describing him as corrupt, 46% as cruel, and 50% as dangerous. Colbert joked, 'Unfortunately, the other 50% say that ladies love a bad boy.'
