Stephen Colbert Hammers Ted Cruz’s Lame Excuse for Sleeping During Biden’s Speech to Congress

After staying up late for his live coverage of President Joe Biden’s big address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, a “punchier” than usual Stephen Colbert kicked off his Late Show monologue on Thursday by taking more than a few shots at Senator Ted Cruz, who was caught sleeping through the speech.

Noting that Biden the president wants to pay for his ambitious new social programs by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans, Colbert said, “Yes, he’s taking from the rich and giving to the poor, which has led a lot of people to compare him to Robin Hood.”

“And he’s of course opposed by his arch-enemy, the Sheriff of Rotting Ham,” he added, as Cruz’s photo appeared on screen. From there, he explained that while the vast majority of Americans who watched the address supported Biden’s message, “Republicans enjoyed the speech a little less. Take Texas senator and divorced Porky Pig, Ted Cruz.”

“Now, you might say it’s not right for me to make fun of him twice in the same show, so I’ll make fun of him three times,” Colbert continued. “And by him, I mean, former presidential candidate and Fidel Gastro, Ted Cruz.” The host said he could relate to the viral footage of the Texas senator appearing to snooze through Biden’s speech, because “now that Joe Biden’s president, I find it much easier to sleep too.”

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“Cruz was roundly mocked online and Bernie Sanders drew a penis on his forehead,” the host joked. “To explain his behavior, Cruz tweeted the video of him falling asleep with the hashtag #BoringButRadical. So he admits he’s witnessing radical historic change, but that makes him sleepy?”

Ultimately, Republicans can try to paint Biden as “boring” or “radical,” but Cruz is going to have a hard time convincing Americans that he’s both.

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