Colbert, Daily Show Try To Claim The Pope While Promoting Abortion

Alex Christy
April 16th, 2026 10:01 AM

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After Vice President JD Vance criticized Pope Leo’s recent Iran War comments as being a possible departure from traditionally understood ideas around just war theory, CBS’s host of The Late Show, Stephen Colbert, responded by telling Vance to “sit down” because he has been a Catholic since the 60s while Vance only converted in 2019. Colbert then went to a commercial, and when he returned, he joined with actress and comedian Rachel Dratch to promote abortion. Meanwhile, over at Comedy Central, The Daily Show host-of-the-week Ronny Chieng also invoked abortion to suggest Vance and others were being hypocritical in their pope criticisms.

Colbert introduced a clip of Vance by reporting, “Yesterday, at a Turning Point USA conference down in Georgia, Vance had some sharp words for Pope Leo over the pope's criticism of Trump's Iran war.”

 

 

In the clip, Vance declared, “In the same way that it's important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”

The missing context is Leo saying that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage wars and does not endorse military action and Vance countering that there is such a thing as a just war and that God would choose the sides in such a war and citing World War II as an example.

Neverthless, Colbert ranted:

Wow! Hey, hey, hey! JD, I know you're a Catholic, but you joined in 2019, okay? I've been genuflecting since the mid-1960s. And let me tell you, brother. Okay? I think you're out—no, I got something to say! I think you’re out over your Catholic skis here, okay? I think it's time for you to sit down, then stand back up. Then kneel. Then stand again. Then shake hands with people around you. Then kneel a little more, then go take communion, and then go back to your pew for some more kneelin'. 'Cause you're not sneakin' outta here after communion. 'Cause you know who left the Last Supper early? Judas.”

Later, Colbert welcomed Dratch to do a skit that was based off of an advice show where callers would phone into the “women's hotline” and Dratch would answer their questions. One man, claiming to be Dave, called in to ask, “I was trying to call Wendy's to order a Baconator and ended up here. But I have always wondered, what is Victoria's secret?”

 

 

Dratch went on a bit of a rant that concluded with some abortion euphemisms, "Even when things are great, and she's playing Mario Kart with her friends, lurking in the corner of her mind is the crippling fear that her country is being led by despots who are systematically targeting women's autonomy.”

Over on Comedy Central, Chieng at least played the part of Vance’s TPUSA event where he talked about Just War Theory and the historical example of fighting the Nazis, but still didn’t get it. Sarcastically chiding the audience for booing, “Shut up! Shut up. Shut up. He’s right. Be careful when you talk about theology, pope.”

 

 

Dropping the sarcasm, Chieng continued, “Let me just remind you guys that what the pope basically said was, ‘War is bad.’ That's not controversial, alight. It's literally the pope's job to say things like that. That's like if Miss America wished for world peace, and JD Vance burst on stage like, ‘Oh, yeah, even with Hitler? Stay in your lane, bitch!’"

Chieng can mock the idea all he wants, but it is a legitimate question to ask if someone who wishes for world peace would still say that when Hitler invaded Poland. Still, Chieng then turned to abortion, “This is what I don't get about guys like JD Vance, okay? How come you have no problem when the pope weighs in on abortion policy, but when he weighs in on your foreign policy, you freak out? I mean, wasn't assassinating the ayatollah just a very, very, very late term abortion? I mean, the man was in his 258th trimester!”

Of course, the unborn child is completely innocent, whereas the ayatollah was a belligerent in a war who was historically directly or indirectly responsible for thousands of American and Israeli deaths. 

Here are transcripts for the April 15 shows:

CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

4/15/2026

11:47 PM ET

STEPHEN COLBERT: Yesterday, at a Turning Point USA conference down in Georgia, Vance had some sharp words for Pope Leo over the pope's criticism of Trump's Iran war.

JD VANCE: In the same way that it's important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.

COLBERT: Wow! Hey, hey, hey! JD, I know you're a Catholic, but you joined in 2019, okay? I've been genuflecting since the mid-1960s. And let me tell you, brother. Okay?

I think you're out—no, I got something to say! I think you’re out over your Catholic skis here, okay? I think it's time for you to sit down, then stand back up. Then kneel. Then stand again. Then shake hands with people around you. Then kneel a little more, then go take communion, and then go back to your pew for some more kneelin'. 'Cause you're not sneakin' outta here after communion. 'Cause you know who left the Last Supper early? Judas.

…

11:58 PM ET

COLBERT: We have time for one more.

RACHEL DRATCH: We have time for one more and now for our final caller.

MAN: Uh, hi, my name's Dave. I was trying to call Wendy's to order a Baconator and ended up here. But I have always wondered, what is Victoria's secret?

DRATCH: Excellent question. Victoria's secret is that she seems to have it together, but she's exhausted all the time. She's got work and taxes, and her parents are expecting her to organize this year's family vacation because her younger sister never answers her texts. Not to mention Victoria recently had an endometriosis flare-up, forcing her to once again interact with a healthcare system that has historically misunderstood how women's bodies work, but she can't get too frustrated or she'll be labeled “difficult.”

Not to mention she's trying to date but the apps are the worst, and she feels like no one's really explained how you're supposed to be fun, flirty, and open to love while still reckoning with the very real safety issues involved in meeting a stranger at a brewery that has axe-throwing.

Yeah. And even when things are great, and she's playing Mario Kart with her friends, lurking in the corner of her mind is the crippling fear that her country is being led by despots who are systematically targeting women's autonomy.

***

Comedy Central The Daily Show

4/15/2026

11:08 PM ET

RONNY CHIENG: Shut up! Shut up. Shut up. He’s right. Be careful when you talk about theology, pope. Let me just remind you guys that what the pope basically said was, "War is bad." That's not controversial, alight. It's literally the pope's job to say things like that. That's like if Miss America wished for world peace, and JD Vance burst on stage like, "Oh, yeah, even with Hitler? Stay in your lane, bitch!"

This is what I don't get about guys like JD Vance, okay? How come you have no problem when the pope weighs in on abortion policy, but when he weighs in on your foreign policy, you freak out? I mean, wasn't assassinating the ayatollah just a very, very, very late term abortion? I mean, the man was in his 258th trimester! 

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