Late Show host Stephen Colbert has paid tribute to beloved New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who announced her intention to step down in February. Ardern has said she is leaving the role because she “no longer [has] enough in the tank to do [the job] justice.”
“Wait a second, she’s leaving because it’s the right thing to do?” asked Colbert. “She didn’t lose an election or steal classified documents or have a Boris Johnson sex party? Are you Kiwis sure you know how democracy works? Do you have even one deranged pillow salesman?”
Colbert recapped a few of Ardern’s accomplishments during her impressive six-year, including leading New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic, spearheading a ban on assault rifles after the Christchurch shootings, and building the most diverse government in the country’s history. He also fondly recalled Ardern picking him up from the airport and taking him to a barbecue with Kiwi singer Lorde on his visit to New Zealand, and jokingly called her decision to resign “selfish.”
“You’re the only world leader that I’m friends with!” said Colbert. “Don’t make me start hanging out with Justin Trudeau. Sure he’s pretty to look at, but he smells like hot yoga and poutine.”
