Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Stephen Colbert found Capitol riots more upsetting than 9/11: ‘No Americans were cheering for the terrorists back then’

Late night host described attackers as ‘homegrown terrorists on a jughead jihad’

Isobel Lewis
Tuesday 19 January 2021 10:38 GMT
Comments
Stephen Colbert compares Capitol attacks to 9/11

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Stephen Colbert has compared the attacks by “homegrown terrorists” on the US Capitol last week to the 9/11 bombings.

Appearing on The Late Show on Monday (11 January), the late night host discussed last Wednesday’s (6 January) riots in Washington DC, in which Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to disrupt Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election win.

The attacks left five people dead, with Colbert saying that the scenes made him “more upset than he could ever remember”.

“A lot of people have said to me since, ‘What about 9/11, Stephen?’ Well yeah, that is the most horrible day in America’s history, but I want to point out no Americans were cheering for the terrorists back then. No one was making excuses for the terrorists, no one was pretending that they weren’t terrorists.”

Colbert continued, describing the “professional level insurgency tactics committed by homegrown terrorists on a jughead jihad”.

“The terrorists who stormed the Capitol weren’t just a bunch of yahoos fed a steady diet of lies, vape juice and Monster energy drink. This was a coordinated and planned attempt to terrorise, if not kill, our nation’s elected leaders,” he said.

“And if any of you out there think it’s wrong to call these people terrorists, consider this: you’re wrong,” he said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in