Stephen Colbert has yet again reignited national conversation with a powerful speech. On Tuesday night, April 16, 2025, The Late Show, which runs after hours, showed the famous comedian with a serious message warning the public that the current US administration is making steps in a direction that may soon become an authoritarian regime. An example is the White House order to deport academic freedom’s defenders. That’s being said, and such words of his become the news of the day.
Any points for adopting the dismissive attitude towards the Supreme Court
Colbert talked about a story many people have heard about that is the deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García. Except it was nothing like they had heard because he is a citizen of the United States who was forced to leave the country despite the decision of the Supreme Court.
“The court was very clear that it was a command, not an advice.”, asserted Colbert. The comedian felt no compunction to joke when he enumerated to the audience what consequences may occur if such a step were taken. “Is there any part of the Constitution left, if even where the first court can request the police to do something and they refuse, it am sure, as the first court, a branch which says its word is the law, the Constitution?”
Colbert made it clear that there is no model of leadership that negates the rule of law. In this regard, he asked if there exists so much as an emergency break of some sort for when a president disregards the law — a matter that has been resonating more broadly now compared to what it was when it was asked only in the studio.
Government Influence on the Educational Sector
The comedian saw the matter from various angles, and the next issue that struck him was the federal government’s action to strip Harvard University of $2.2 billion. Why? For such a petty ground as the school’s failure to delete its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, the conservative camp wanted to be implemented.
As per Colbert, these attempts to force universities to act politically in a certain way are “very un-American.” He applauded Harvard’s stance against the demands, highlighting that the university has been so for over 300 years. “It withstood revolutions, wars, and TikTok even — it’s definitely going to survive this as well,” he chuckled.
Nonetheless, this matter has raised serious questions about whether or not the federal government has the right to influence university policy via funding, and as a result, essentially become a weapon.
A Funny Way of Addressing Critical Issues
Of course, Colbert’s speech abounded with humor as always. The one sentence that really resonated with his audience was his unique twist on the current state of America: “We are not on our way to a dictatorship – we are on the ship.”
According to him, what’s onstage now is no longer limited to the performance of politics. It has reached a point where political institutions that are essentially democratic can no longer resist the moves of political leaders to suit their interests. However, the audience was excited about the points being made; in fact, they reacted with a mixture of laughter and applause and the video has been watched by millions of people on the Internet.
What Colbert’s Comments Indicate to the Audience
It is not the first time that Colbert, on his show, has brought up political issues, yet this time his words seem to hold more weight in them. Furthremore, the closeness to the election time has made history an even more common topic.
It has been frequently mentioned by specialists and the media that the essence of the message that Colbert conveys is connected to the people’s fear of sliding to an autocracy, the possible lack of legitimacy in courts, and the absorption of educational facilities in administration.
Several of those who shared their views on the Internet described him as “daring to tell the truth that others are afraid to,” while the debate on whether the threats he referred to are exaggerated or substantiated has engaged others. The monologue, no matter anyone’s political stance, certainly has had an impact.
The Whole Story
It is not only as a comedian but also as a political ethics and public accountability voice that Stephen Colbert has shown over the years. The April 16th speech of his has raised the issue of institution testing in a way that the society has never witnessed before: What is the reaction of various sectors and personalities of the government when the checks and balances are dragging?
With the political tension that is constantly growing in the run-up to the 2025 elections, what Colbert has said might be the launch of even further and deeper talks in late-night TV shows, on the various social media platforms, and in the dining rooms across the US.
It is certain for the time being that one way or another it cannot be denied that America has eventually started to take Colbert seriously. — Colbert isn’t just joking anymore and the US are listening
