Despite being a cheerleader for abortion and all things LGBTQ-related, CBS’s Stephen Colbert mocked Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday’s episode of The Late Show for trying “to correct the pope on the Bible.” More specifically, Colbert tried to ridicule Johnson for demanding immigrants assimilate into the country by noting he did not speak in Ojibwe and compared Johnson citing Biblical passages about respecting civil authority to loyalists during the Revolution and people who defended slavery.
Colbert began by lamenting, “Republicans like to claim Jesus is their guy, which is why yesterday his eminence Mike Johnson tried to correct the pope on the Bible. No, Mike. Mike, don’t go there. That’s like trying to correct me on The Lord of the Rings… Okay, so you claim to know more about the Bible than the pope? Do you also claim to poop in the woods more than a bear? Then go for it, buddy.”
The following clip of Johnson featured an interestingly placed jump cut, “Immigration is not something that’s frowned upon in scripture. [jump cut] But what’s also important in the Bible is that assimilation is expected and anticipated and proper. When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change its society. They’re expected to assimilate.”
Despite being pro-abortion and all in on the LGBTQ stuff, Stephen Colbert mocks Speaker Mike Johnson, “Mike Johnson tried to correct the pope on the Bible.”
After a clip of Johnson saying assimilation is important on immigration, Colbert sarcastically agrees, “Exactly. We must… pic.twitter.com/QeVk1oXpfZ
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) February 5, 2026
The part Colbert cut out featured Johnson claiming, “In fact, it’s welcomed. We are to welcome the sojourner and love our neighbor as ourselves.”
Johnson was making a clear distinction between those who follow the law and those who don’t, but to acknowledge that would’ve undermined Colbert’s entire point. As it was, Colbert retorted, “Exactly. We must all assimilate, which is why Johnson gave that answer in perfect Ojibwe.”
In another clip, Johnson added, “Romans 13 says that the civil authorities are God’s agents of wrath to bring punishment upon the wrongdoer, and it says, if you do right, you have no fear of the civil authorities, but those civil authorities are necessary.”
Colbert responded by initially ranting before breaking out into song:
Okay. Technically, he’s right. Romans 13 does say that. Because it’s St. Paul’s letter to the Romans trying to work within the system so Nero would stop killing everybody who had just joined the brand new religion, but Paul bendin’ the knee to the Romans didn’t help him all! He was arrested at least three times and then they chopped his head off! But I guess they were just God’s agents of wrath, right, Mike? You wanna do this, buddy?! Let’s do this, bucko! I did not suffer through a thousand hours of acoustic folk mass for nothing’! Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name!
Again, Colbert took the simple demand that our immigration laws be respected and compared that to other periods in history:
I’d say Romans 13 is an interesting Bible passage to be able to pluck from memory, Mike! According to one American history professor, ‘There are two dominant places in American history when Romans 13 is invoked. One is during the American Revolution when it was used by loyalists who opposed the revolution.’ And the other is in the 1840s and ’50s, when it was invoked by defenders of slavery. Not great company, Mr. Speaker! You really don’t want to be on the side with the bad guys in every single Ken Burns documentary. If this was the one on baseball, Mike Johnson would be rain.
If this was baseball, Colbert would have just struck out. Not only was he being hypocritical in choosing which papal teachings to champion, but his insinuation that assimilation and immigration enforcement per se are akin to supporting slavery or the British would mean the concept of law can be disregarded because he can’t tell the difference between people who break just laws and people who are oppressed by unjust laws.
Here is a transcript for the February 4 show:
CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2/4/2026
11:43 PM ET
STEPHEN COLBERT: Republicans like to claim Jesus is their guy, which is why yesterday his eminence Mike Johnson tried to correct the pope on the Bible. No, Mike. Mike, don’t go there. That’s like trying to correct me on The Lord of the Rings.
Did I write it? No. Do I consider myself its spiritual emissary on Earth? You bet your Tom Bombadil I do. Okay, so you claim to know more about the Bible than the pope? Do you also claim to poop in the woods more than a bear? Then go for it, buddy.
MIKE JOHNSON: Immigration is not something that’s frowned upon in scripture. [jump cut] But what’s also important in the Bible is that assimilation is expected and anticipated and proper. When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change its society. They’re expected to assimilate.
COLBERT: Exactly. We must all assimilate, which is why Johnson gave that answer in perfect Ojibwe. Johnson eventually got down to chapter and verse.
JOHNSON: Romans 12. You want to do this?
COLBERT: No, not really. But ga’head.
JOHNSON: Romans 13 says that the civil authorities are God’s agents of wrath to bring punishment upon the wrongdoer, and it says, if you do right, you have no fear of the civil authorities, but those civil authorities are necessary.
COLBERT: Okay. Technically, he’s right. Romans 13 does say that. Because it’s St. Paul’s letter to the Romans trying to work within the system so Nero would stop killing everybody who had just joined the brand new religion, but Paul bendin’ the knee to the Romans didn’t help him all! He was arrested at least three times and then they chopped his head off! But I guess they were just God’s agents of wrath, right, Mike? You wanna do this, buddy?! Let’s do this, bucko! I did not suffer through a thousand hours of acoustic folk mass for nothing’! Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name!
And listen up. listen up. I’d say Romans 13 is an interesting Bible passage to be able to pluck from memory, Mike! According to one American history professor, “There are two dominant places in American history when Romans 13 is invoked. One is during the American Revolution when it was used by loyalists who opposed the revolution.”
And the other is in the 1840s and ’50s, when it was invoked by defenders of slavery. Not great company, Mr. Speaker! You really don’t want to be on the side with the bad guys in every single Ken Burns documentary. If this was the one on baseball, Mike Johnson would be rain.
