Stephen Colbert Jokes About Kamikaze Dolphins During Pete Hegseth Pentagon Briefing

Wed, 06 May 2026 12:47:00 +0200

On May 6, 2026, Stephen Colbert used his 'Late Show' platform to highlight a peculiar moment from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent Pentagon press briefing. The briefing touched on reports that Iran might be deploying so-called 'kamikaze dolphins' in the Strait of Hormuz. When Hegseth was asked to confirm these reports, he replied ambiguously: 'I can’t confirm or deny whether we have kamikaze dolphins. But I can confirm they don’t.' Colbert quickly seized on this, joking that the U.S. clearly must have kamikaze dolphins, humorously imagining porpoises strapped with explosives motivated by the promise of herring. To amplify the humor, Colbert turned to footage of a dolphin and asked for its opinion, displaying a caption over the screeching dolphin that read, 'That’s fucked up.' Colbert echoed the sentiment with a comedic agreement. The segment went viral for its absurdity, showcasing Colbert’s trademark satirical approach to military news and highlighting the unusual intersection