Colbert’s monologue became a tightrope walk between gallows humor and moral outrage. He mocked Epstein’s associate for pitching his Super PAC segment like a TV recommendation, then twisted the “no such thing as bad publicity” line into a fake Times Square ad. When he learned Epstein had compared himself to Gandalf, Colbert’s fury finally broke through the jokes. His “Eat s*, you d*ad pervert” punchline landed not just as a laugh, but as a public exorcism of a man too long protected by money and myth.
Then he turned the spotlight where it rarely stays: on the powerful still insulated by distance and deniability. Colbert pressed the uncomfortable question of why thousands of Trump references and disturbing Elon Musk mentions haven’t dominated headlines or driven real accountability. In doing so, he reminded viewers that late-night comedy can still function as a moral ledger when the legal one refuses to balance.