Emily Zemler
View all posts by Emily Zemler April 16, 2026
Stephen Colbert on 'The Late Show' YouTube/The Late Show Late-night hosts mocked JD Vance for having a “rough week” while being forced to support Donald Trump. Yesterday, Vance spoke at a Turning Point USA conference, where he attempted to defend Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV and tried to dismiss Trump’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Jimmy Kimmel noted that according to polling Vance is the “least popular vice president in more than two decades.” He quipped, “Weirdly, Americans don’t seem to be responding to JD infectious charisma. Maybe it’s time for a new eyeliner.”
The host played a clip of Vance speaking at the sparsely-attended Turning Point USA event. “JD Vance may be deeply unpopular, but you wouldn’t know it from the sitting room-only crowd in Athens, Georgia yesterday,” Kimmel noted. “There were more people in the theater to see the Melania documentary than JD Vance.”
Kimmel added, “JD Vance has had a rough week. He failed to make a deal to end the war in Iran. He had to defend Trump bashing the pope and the AI Jesus stuff. And now he’s made it his job to try to pretend his boss wasn’t a close friend of the world’s most notorious pedophile.”
At the Turning Point USA conference, Vance explained that Trump wasn’t actually friends with Epstein. “Oh, now it’s clear,” Kimmel said after playing a clip of Vance’s speech. “They weren’t best friends. They were just extremely horny acquaintances together. By the way, do you think Trump and JD Vance have ever had a conversation about this where JD asked him, ‘What actually happened with Jeffrey Epstein?’ Not a chance. He’s pulling every bit of this out of his ass.”
