Stephen Colbert’s Wednesday cold open for The Late Show not only smeared the Republican Party by claiming their health care policy motto is simply “Kill,” but the CBS host also took House Majority Leader Steve Scalise out of context by omitting his actual beliefs to do it.
The cold open began with CBS News 24/7 anchor Mugo Odigwe setting the table, “Health care is at the top of the congressional to-do list as premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year for more than 20 million Americans. House Republicans have released a package of bills they say will help fix the problem.”
That then led to a clip of Scalise at a recent press conference asking, “When I watch TV commercials, I see this gecko lizard, and I see the emu, and I see all these other animals out there selling health—they're selling car insurance. They're selling homeowners' insurance; why aren't they selling health insurance?”
Colbert left off the part where Scalise answered his own question, “I see this gecko lizard, and I see the emu, and I see all these other animals out there selling car insurance, they're selling homeowners' insurance; why aren't they selling health insurance?' That's because the laws at the federal level prohibit the ability for people to have choices to get people trying to offer them lower cost products for health insurance.”
Actually addressing the substance of Scalise’s claim would not have allowed Colbert to then play a satirical ad where a narrator declared, “We here at the GOP are proud to unveil our new health care insurance plan. And just like the Geico Gecko and the LiMu Emu, we have a fun new animal mascot to help sell it: Rocco, the health care dog.”
A man was then shown asking Rocco three times what the party’s health care message should be:
MAN: Rocco, what should our message be for America?
ROCCO: I want you to go out and kill.
MAN: What if they need health care?
ROCCO: Kill.
MAN: Are you sure that's the right message?
ROCCO: Kill!
The announcer then concluded, “The new GOP health care plan. Remember our motto” before Rocco repeated one more time, “Kill!”
Satire doesn’t work when it is satirizing a straw man. Scalise gave a reasonable diagnosis of the problem, but Colbert omitted that so he could get in a cheap shot about Republicans not caring if people die, and that is why The Late Show is going away next May. "Kill," however does sound an awful lot like Canada's euthanasia policy
Here is a transcript for the December 17 show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
12/17/2025
11:57 PM ET
MUGO ODIGWE: Health care is at the top of the congressional to-do list as premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year for more than 20 million Americans. House Republicans have released a package of bills they say will help fix the problem.
STEVE SCALISE: When I watch TV commercials, I see this gecko lizard, and I see the emu, and I see all these other animals out there selling health—they're selling car insurance. They're selling homeowners' insurance; why aren't they selling health insurance?”
ANNOUNCER: We here at the GOP are proud to unveil our new health care insurance plan. And just like the Geico Gecko and the LiMu Emu, we have a fun new animal mascot to help sell it: Rocco, the health care dog.
MAN: Rocco, what should our message be for America?
ROCCO: I want you to go out and kill.
MAN: What if they need health care?
ROCCO: Kill.
MAN: Are you sure that's the right message?
ROCCO: Kill!
ANNOUNCER: The new GOP health care plan. Remember our motto.
ROCCO: Kill!
