Late Night Hosts Roast Trump Over Iran and War Comments

Late-night television hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert have criticized President Donald Trump following a series of escalating threats regarding the war in Iran and a subsequent abrupt shift toward a ceasefire.

During their respective broadcasts on April 7, 2026, Kimmel and Colbert reacted to comments made by the president earlier that day, which included a threat that a whole civilization will die tonight.

Hours before the deadline of that ultimatum, President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. This agreement included the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to provide additional time for the negotiation of a peace deal.

Kimmel’s ‘TACO’ Acronym and Critique

On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Jimmy Kimmel described the president’s rapid change in direction as probably the most dangerous episode of the celebrity president yet.

Kimmel introduced the acronym TACO, which stands for Trump always chickens out, to characterize the move. He referred to the events of April 7 as the TACO Tuesday of all TACO Tuesdays and joked that the president decided not to drop the chalupa for at least another two weeks.

The host further compared the president’s habit of two-week extensions to a conscientious employee who always gives two weeks notice.

Kimmel also likened the president’s manner of discussing war to the way he previously bragged about women with Billy Bush.

Colbert’s Reaction to the Easter Address

Stephen Colbert, on The Late Show, described the threats against Iran as very upsetting.

Colbert’s commentary focused on a bizarre, rambling Easter Monday address delivered from the White House. This address was characterized as being hare-brained and was delivered while the president was positioned next to the Easter Bunny.

The president’s Easter message was noted for being filled with expletives and concluding with the phrase Praise be to Allah.

Broader Late-Night Commentary on the Iran Conflict

The critique of the administration’s approach to the Iran conflict extends beyond Kimmel and Colbert. Jon Stewart, hosting The Daily Show, commented on the situation on March 31, 2026, noting that the unauthorized war had reached its one-month mark.

Stewart described the conflict as an improv war and mocked the president’s inability to maintain focus on the issue. He characterized the president’s behavior as being less like a commander-in-chief and more like a grandpa who’s lost his filter in public.

Stewart also criticized the media’s framing of the conflict, specifically pointing to news coverage of the Strait of Hormuz closure that focused on potential disruptions to the supply of Dubai chocolate—a pistachio paste chocolate bar popular with influencers—rather than the loss of innocent lives in the region.

Stewart explained the cycle of the conflict, stating that Trump threatened to escalate bombing campaigns unless Iran reopened the strait, which had been closed in response to the president’s own bombing campaign. He jokingly referred to this stage of the war as the human centipede portion, citing General Patton.