Late-night host Stephen Colbert did not hold back after news broke that former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would be stepping down from her position in President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump announced the change on Thursday, marking the first major cabinet shake-up of his second term. Noem, who had overseen the Department of Homeland Security during a controversial immigration crackdown, will leave the role and take on a new position.
During the opening monologue of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the comedian quickly turned the political Development into a series of jokes.
“Well it’s a rainy night here in New York,” he told the live studio audience before abruptly shifting tone and drawing cheers from the crowd. “Okay enough of that. Let’s talk about Kristi Noem getting fired!” Colbert continued by poking fun at the sudden announcement.
“She’s out, she’s gone. Her fault for standing too close to that gravel pit,” Colbert joked, referencing a controversial moment from Noem’s 2024 memoir No Going Back. In the book, she described putting down her dog, Cricket and leaving the animal’s body in a gravel pit, an admission that sparked public criticism at the time.
The comedian then escalated the satire, referencing political rhetoric surrounding immigration debates.
“It’s too soon to know why Kristi Noem is gone. Before we find out any information about what happened, I just want to say with absolute certainty, she is a domestic terrorist who deserves to go to GTMO,” Colbert continued.
Moments later, he corrected himself with another joke. “I’m sorry, I’m being told that’s not true. But you know what, I acted on the information we had at the time.”
His comment appeared to mock earlier controversies involving Noem’s public statements about immigration enforcement cases before investigations were completed.
Trump announced the change through a post on Truth Social. In the message, he praised Noem’s work while confirming that she would move into a new role aligned with a broader security initiative.
According to Trump, Noem, “who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere.”
Colbert also joked about the new title during his monologue. He said the position “sounds like someone’s about to become the FIFA secretary of Homeland Security.”
Before joining Trump’s cabinet, Noem served as governor of South Dakota from 2019 until 2025. Her time leading the Department of Homeland Security has been surrounded by several controversies.
Among them were allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a senior aide and questions about whether funds connected to a DHS advertising campaign were improperly handled.
A November report by ProPublica claimed that hundreds of millions of dollars tied to the campaign had been directed to companies owned by Noem’s associates, including some firms reportedly formed just days before receiving contracts.
When questioned about the spending during congressional hearings, Noem said the advertising campaign had Trump’s approval. However, when Reuters later asked Trump about the issue, he said, “I never knew anything about it.” Not long afterwards, the president publicly confirmed her reassignment.
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