It wasn’t a joke. There was no punchline.
On a Wednesday night that began like any other, late-night host Stephen Colbert paused his monologue, stared directly into the camera, and delivered a burst of emotion so raw and personal that network censors scrambled to respondThe target of his fury: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The spark: A $500 million funding cut to critical vaccine research.
To Colbert, this wasn’t politics — it was betrayal.
Earlier that week, the health secretary had announced deep cuts to 22 federal research projects focused on mRNA technology — a field many scientists consider essential to modern medicine and pandemic preparedness. The decision sent shockwaves through the scientific community, with leading researchers calling it a step backward at a dangerous moment.
The smirk faded. His voice sharpened. The usual playfulness of The Late Show gave way to something far more serious. Colbert’s frustration boiled over as he criticized the secretary’s track record, eventually abandoning comedy entirely.
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