The Media Research Center (MRC), through its NewsBusters division, has released a study examining the content of late-night television humor during the initial week of Operation Epic Fury, a U.S.-led military campaign involving airstrikes against Iranian leadership and targets. This operation, which began in early March 2026, prompted the MRC to analyze how hosts on major networks addressed the conflict in their monologues and segments.
The study reviewed 20 episodes from five prominent shows airing between March 2 and March 5, 2026: ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's The Daily Show (hosted by Jon Stewart and correspondent Michael Kosta during the period), NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Analysts identified a total of 250 war-related jokes, defined broadly to include references to military actions, politicians or commentators supporting the U.S. position, historical administration statements on conflicts, or speculative humor about Iran's regime. Allies were classified as any nations participating alongside the U.S., such as Israel and certain Arab states responding to Iranian aggression.
Key findings:
- 94% of these jokes (235 out of 250) targeted the United States and its allies, while only 6% (15 jokes) focused on Iran or its leadership.
- The U.S. itself was the primary subject in 229 of the jokes, with President Trump being the most frequent individual target (152 times), followed by figures like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (23), Senator Markwayne Mullin (14), Congressional Republicans (7), and Senator Lindsey Graham (6).
The MRC characterized this as a significant bias, noting that the humor overwhelmingly critiqued American actions and leaders rather than the adversarial regime.
Breakdown by host/show:
- Seth Meyers delivered 52 war-related jokes, all (100%) targeting the U.S.
- Jimmy Fallon had 37 such jokes, with 36 (97%) aimed at the U.S.
- Jimmy Kimmel made 53 jokes, 51 (96%) of which targeted the U.S. or allies.
- Stephen Colbert's 48 jokes included 43 (90%) against the U.S./allies.
- The Daily Show featured 60 jokes, with 53 (88%) directed at the U.S./allies.
Examples highlighted in the study include:
- Kimmel mocking the operation's name as differing from "Operation Epsteino Distracto" and comparing Trump's comments on Iran to international perceptions of the U.S.
- Colbert creating an anagram of "Epic Fury" as "Forget Epstein" and ridiculing Trump's description of the attack's scale.
- Stewart joking that "Epic Fury" sounded like an energy drink name and questioning if millennials named the operation.
- Kosta criticizing Hegseth's "not a fair fight" remark as bullying and quipping about a friendly fire incident in Kuwait where U.S.-sold missiles downed American planes.
- Meyers teasing Trump's announcement from a private club, suggesting he remove his hat.
- Fallon, in a mock interview, inserting a Trump clip about "The Epstein files" when asked what he wanted to destroy most.
In contrast, the few Iran-focused jokes included references to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (9), generic Iran quips (4), and his son Mojtaba (2), such as Colbert's "nepo-tollah" pun. The MRC's analysis has been covered by outlets emphasizing media bias concerns during the ongoing Middle East conflict.