Stephen Colbert is not impressed that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cut $500 million in funding for vaccines. On the latest episode of The Late Show, Colbert took aim at the Health and Human Services Secretary over the decision, which former Surgeon General Jerome Adams said “is going to cost lives.”
“Now, we have 10 more months of this show and I want to give a measured, non-partisan response here,” Colbert said. He then raised his middle finger to the camera and declared, “Fuck you, you roid-addled nepo-carnie!”
Colbert recounted how Kennedy is “nixing” 22 projects that use mRNA technology. “But that’s the latest vaccine technology,” Colbert replied. “That’s like saying, ‘Kids, I’m turning off the GPS. We’re going to make our way to Six Flags by using the stars! Hand Daddy the sextant.’”
In response to Kennedy claiming that mRNA technology, which uses synthetic gene sequences to teach cells how to create antibodies without needing to introduce viral particles, doesn’t “perform well against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract,” Colbert got straight to the point.
“Counterpoint: Fuck you, you roadkill-munching, luddite, human Slim Jim,” Colbert said, flipping off the camera again. “You’re gonna kill people. Why would you say mRNA vaccines don’t perform well against upper respiratory infections? The National Institute of Health said they prevented an estimated 14.4 million deaths. Why on Earth is RFK Jr. so anxious to fill our streets with dead bodies?”
Kennedy’s recent claims are misleading the public about the science behind vaccines. A 2023 study published by the National Institute of Health on the effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against Covid found that “despite certain drawbacks such as strong immunogenicity and the potential for triggering irrelevant immune responses, the authorized mRNA vaccines are considered highly effective and safe.”
The secretary has waged a full-fledged war against the nation’s vaccination infrastructure since his confirmation to Trump’s Cabinet. He downplayed the severity of a deadly measles outbreak in Texas — a disease that had almost been eliminated by robust public vaccination programs. In June, he fired an entire panel of vaccine experts tasked with helping shape seasonal vaccine recommendations, and replaced them with loyalists and ideologues.
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