PoliticsStephen Colbert Eviscerates 'Domestic Terrorist' Kristi Noem After She's Fired: She 'Deserves' to Go to Guantanamo Bay

Late-night comedian Stephen Colbert cracked countless jokes about the shock firing of DHS secretary Kristi Noem.
March 6 2026, Published 1:47 p.m. ET
In his March 5, monologue, late-night host Stephen Colbert turned the "domestic terrorist" label back on Kristi Noem following her sudden firing as Secretary of Homeland Security.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert star joked with "absolute certainty" that Noem herself is a "domestic terrorist who deserves to go to Gitmo,” referring to Guantanamo Bay, the controversial detention camp in southeastern Cuba established in 2002 for "war on terror" suspects.
This was a direct jab at Noem's own history of labeling victims of federal violence. In January, Noem faced intense backlash for calling Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis, a "domestic terrorist" without providing any evidence.

Stephen Colbert mocked Kristi Noem during his monologue.
“It’s too soon to know exactly why Kristi Noem is gone,” Colbert teased. “Before we find out any more information about what happened, I just want to say with absolute certainty: She is a domestic terrorist who deserves to go to Gitmo… I’m being told that is not true, but you know what? I acted on the information we had at the time.”
After his audience cheered the "Gitmo" comment, Colbert snickered, "I acted on the information we had at the time," mocking Noem’s reiterated defense of her own baseless accusations.
“Sounds like someone’s about to become the FIFA Secretary of Homeland Security,” Colbert also quipped, referring to the fake peace prize the soccer organization FIFA gifted President Donald Trump last year.

Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem on March 5.
Colbert's months-long roast of Noem (whom he nicknamed "ICE Barbie") centered on several controversies during her brief tenure as DHS Secretary.
In January, Noem wore an oversized cowboy hat while defending the fatal shooting of Minneapolis mother Renee Good. Colbert mocked the look, saying, "I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you lying over your hat."
Trump fired Noem on Thursday, March 5, reportedly due to her poor performance in congressional hearings and her "disastrous" public image.
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Donald Trump gave Kristi Noem a different job.
The POTUS announced Noem would become a "Special Envoy in the Western Hemisphere," which Colbert dissed as a "brand-new, completely made-up job.”
Colbert’s late-night pal Jimmy Kimmel also devoted his March 5 monologue to the Noem news, joking, “You know, the funniest thing would be if they deport her to El Salvador.”

Jimmy Kimmel also made fun of Kristi Noem's departure.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say, we wish Kristi luck in her brand-new, completely made-up job,” Kimmel said, in the same vein as Colbert.
“It’s interesting – Trump was said to be particularly unhappy with Noem’s testimony claiming that he signed off on a $220 million ad campaign that featured her in commercials wearing different outfits, rounding up immigrants and riding a horse. Trump claims he didn’t know anything about it. Even though we all knew everything about it. But you know him, he doesn’t watch much television,” the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host jested.

