Fallon and Stewart Try To Paint Susan Collins As a Corrupt, Fake Moderate

Alex Christy
September 29th, 2026 12:57 PM

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Maine Senator Susan Collins may be the most liberal Republican in the Senate, but for NBC’s The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and Comedy Central’s Monday host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, that is not enough. Whether it was Fallon last Wednesday or Stewart on Monday, both men tried to suggest Collins is actually that moderate as she runs for re-election. Fallon also went even further as he tried to push a discredited ProPublica hit piece accusing Collins of corruption.

Fallon got the ball rolling by performing a skit with Catherine Jarrett, “You guys hear about this? According to a bombshell new report, the FBI had enough evidence to investigate Republican Senator Susan Collins, and other powerful politicians for criminal bribery. But the investigation was dropped when Trump was re-elected. So here to respond is Senator Susan Collins.”

 

 

Most of the skit featured Fallon asking some variation of "Are the allegations true?” and Fake Collins responding with something to the effect of, “Well, they're concerning, Jimmy. And I, for one, am very concerned about how concerning my concerns are. But after a lot of thought, I have made the difficult decision to continue supporting me.“

At one point, Fallon claimed to recognize a pattern, “It's when you say you're concerned about something obviously bad but then you decide to support it anyway.”

Fallon also alleged, “But then the contractor told your Super PAC that he was donating $150,000 through a fake LLC because they're super-vague and very difficult to get any background info on” and “Then two months later, he met with your office and told his company that you committed to giving him $32 million in federal funding.”

Fake Collins ended the interview by claiming, “But after a lot of thought, here's what I'll say. For $150,000, I'll answer any question you want.”

As Brad Slager at Mediaite writes:

The CEO of Navatek, a company with government contracts in a number of states, including Maine, was popped for bribery charges. In an attempt to strike a deal, he spewed out a 50-page report naming anybody and everybody he could, from lobbyists to Hill staffers and up to congressional figures.

Even though this was clearly going to be an investigation of mammoth proportions, ProPublica leans heavily on painting this as Collins being a primary target, and Trump exonerating her by hindering FBI operations, directly or indirectly.

What is left out of the ProPublica story speaks to the slanted effort at play. The claims made by the convicted CEO do not involve the Collins campaign or her officers, but members of a PAC. That is only the start of the problems of this biased report, arriving a week early for its October Surprise stature.

All of the investigation into Navatek and CEO Martin Kao predated the arrival of Trump. The bulk of the work took place during the Joe Biden administration. A Collins spokesperson noted all of her involvement wrapped up in 2021, after cooperating with the feds. A grand jury indicted Kao, with no charges levelled at Collins, and he pleaded guilty to the charges the following year.

Fallon left all that out too.

A few days later, Stewart tried to claim that Collins is a phony moderate."

You know that Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown metaphor? I can't figure out if Susan Collins is Lucy or Charlie Brown. She is either Lucy—cynically pretending to be concerned about the obvious downstream effects of her votes, despite repeatedly voting that way—or she is almost criminally naive about the inevitable betrayal. "Oh, I think this time these justices will actually—No!" In fact, the only thing you can be sure of with Susan Collins is if you try and hold her accountable for these contradictions: She's gone.

 

 

After a clip montage, Stewart added, “There is a not a conveyance yet invented—car, escalator, elevator, door that can hold the Houdini-esque Susan Collins.”

What the Fallon and Stewart rants show is that the “comedy” shows demand 100 percent uniformity. Any Republican is simply a bridge too far.

Here are transcripts for the September 23 and 28 shows:

Comedy Central The Daily Show

9/28/2026

11:19 PM ET

JON STEWART: You know that Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown metaphor? I can't figure out if Susan Collins is Lucy or Charlie Brown. She is either Lucy—cynically pretending to be concerned about the obvious downstream effects of her votes, despite repeatedly voting that way—or she is almost criminally naive about the inevitable betrayal. "Oh, I think this time these justices will actually—No!" In fact, the only thing you can be sure of with Susan Collins is if you try and hold her accountable for these contradictions: She's gone.

REPORTER: Do you think you should release what he's got?

MANU RAJU: Do you regret your vote on Kavanaugh?

SUSAN COLLINS: I really don't have anything to add at this point.

COLLINS: I don't know enough to make a judgment at this point.

COLLINS: I have not reviewed the document yet.

RAJU: You haven't reviewed the M.O.U. Yet?

COLLINS: Block the door—

REPORTER 2: Do you think this is a good deal for the United States?

COLLINS: So I have not yet had a chance to review the MOU.

STEWART: There is a not a conveyance yet invented—car, escalator, elevator, door that can hold the Houdini-esque Susan Collins.

***

NBC The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

9/23/2026

11:41 PM ET

JIMMY FALLON: You guys hear about this? According to a bombshell new report, the FBI had enough evidence to investigate Republican Senator Susan Collins, and other powerful politicians for criminal bribery. But the investigation was dropped when Trump was re-elected. So here to respond is Senator Susan Collins.

CATHERINE JARRETT/SUSAN COLLINS: Hi, Jimmy. Thanks for having me.

FALLON: Yeah. So, these are very serious allegations here.

JARRETT/COLLINS: They certainly are. And I, for one, am very concerned about what this says about the integrity of Susan Collins.

FALLON: But you're Susan Collins.

JARRETT/COLLINS: I know. And that's what's so concerning.

FALLON: So, are the allegations true?

JARRETT/COLLINS: Well, they're concerning, Jimmy. And I for, one, am very concerned about how concerning my concerns are. But after a lot of thought, I have made the difficult decision to continue supporting me.

FALLON: Okay, I feel like you're just doing the Susan Collins thing.

JARRETT/COLLINS: Really? What's that?

FALLON: It's when you say you're concerned about something obviously bad but then you decide to support it anyway.

JARRETT/COLLINS: Well, if that's true, it's very concerning, Jimmy. But after a lot of thought, I have made the difficult decision to continue supporting it.

FALLON: Stop saying that. There's a lot of evidence in this article. The CEO of a government defense contractor says he met with the head of one of your Super PACs who asked for an illegal campaign donation in exchange for millions of dollars in government contracts.

JARRETT/COLLINS: Wow, that is very concerning.

FALLON: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But then the contractor told your Super PAC that he was donating $150,000 through a fake LLC because they're super-vague and very difficult to get any background info on.

JARRETT/COLLINS: That is even more concerning.

FALLON: Yeah, I know. Then two months later, he met with your office and told his company that you committed to giving him $32 million in federal funding.

JARRETT/COLLINS: I don't want to sound like Chandler Bing here, but could I be any more concerned?

FALLON: I don't care if you're concerned. Just answer the question. Did you accept bribes?

JARRETT/COLLINS: Well, that's a very concerning question, Jimmy.

FALLON: Yes.

JARRETT/COLLINS: But after a lot of thought, here's what I'll say. For $150,000, I'll answer any question you want.

FALLON: All right. Thank you. Senator Susan Collins, everyone. 

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