Republican Party

‘Hair Gel and Rage': Late Night Hosts Look Back on Scaramucci's Short Tenure

From mock memorials to songs of satire, hosts across the networks capitalized on the made-for-television drama

After Anthony Scaramucci's time as White House communications director came to an untimely end Monday, and after the ousting of former chief of staff Reince Priebus just three days before, late night talk shows had a field day with the latest administration shake-ups. 

From mock memorials to songs of satire, hosts across the networks capitalized on the made-for-television drama Monday night. 

Jimmy Fallon
“The Tonight Show” host took time in his monologue to offer his thoughts on the White House changes. “The Mooch’s” tenure may have been brief, “but his cologne will linger forever,” Fallon joked. 

Fallon also called attention to reports that Scaramucci recently missed the birth of his own son while at an event with Trump. Instead, Scaramucci texted his wife congratulations, according to the reports. Scaramucci's wife denied those reports through her lawyer. 

“Trump was like, 'You don't text your wife after she has your baby. You tweet her,'" Fallon said.

The host then brought in an over-zealous GOP fan as a hype man for the struggling administration. 

“Keep telling it like it is 'Mooch,'” the fan said, offering words of support for the ousted aide. “We as a nation love that you’re not P.C. [politically correct] and, or fake. Enjoy that time off, babe.” 

Concluding his monologue, Fallon shifted attention to news of five baby flamingos recently born at the Sacramento Zoo.

"The mother even got a text from Anthony Scaramucci saying congratulations."

Jimmy Fallon opens his show by talking to a "GOP fan" about the recent White House drama, which includes the ousting of Reince Priebus and Anthony Scaramucci.

Seth Meyers
In his "Late Night" segment “A Closer Look,” Meyers likened the recent White House drama to a “middle school cafeteria.” 

Meyers called out Scaramucci — “114 pounds of Alfredo sauce, hair gel and rage” — for trashing Priebus (in the viral New Yorker phone call). Meyers, taking note that Scaramucci's last name has as many letters as the number of days he spent in his job, offered some possible replacements for a communications director. 

“How do you top Scaramucci? Would it be an air horn with chest hair, a lasagna with a switch blade, a monster energy drink with googly eyes?" he said. 

The “Late Night” host also analyzed Priebus’ firing. He took a look back at some of Priebus’ finer moments in office, including the times he flattered Trump in a Cabinet meeting and fought relentlessly about the size of the president's inauguration crowd, as well as the time the president reportedly asked him to kill a fly in the Oval Office. 

Seth Meyers dives into the recent shake-ups in the White House, including the firings of chief of staff Reince Priebus and communications director Anthony Scaramucci.

Jimmy Kimmel
The “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host dissected Trump’s bad week in Washington. Responding to the White House statement saying the president thought Scaramucci’s comments to New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza were inappropriate, Kimmel thought that explanation made sense. 

“Say what you like about him; he’s a very appropriate person,” he said of the president. 

But there was another statement from Trump that Kimmel didn’t think aged as well. He resurfaced a February 2016 tweet from then-presidential candidate Trump hounding rival Ted Cruz for firing his communications director "like a dog."

“Well, woof to them,” Kimmel quipped. 

And after realizing that “the Mooch” follows Kimmel on Twitter, the host said he was able to snag an interview with the former White House aide. In a heated, expletive-laden phone call with a “Mooch” impersonator that rivaled that of the real deal, Kimmel questioned “Scaramucci” on his feelings about his former place of employment.

“Watch your back Sarah (Huckabee) Sanders,” the character said in bleeped terms. He added that he felt the president "grabbed me by the (bleep)," harking back to language used in Trump's "locker room talk" tapes that also had to be censored on television.

Trevor Noah
The “Daily Show” host also left time for Scaramucci, complete with a mock memorial that listed his tenure as “Late July 2017 to Slightly Later July 2017.” Noah lamented that he “just bought the Scaramucci 2017 jersey” and that he hadn’t “even finished my Scaramucci tattoo.” 

But "the Mooch" hadn’t even technically started his job, Noah said, noting that Scaramucci’s official start date was slated to be Aug. 15. (According to NBC News, Scaramucci did officially start his job on July 25). 

“That's like waking up in the morning, looking in the newspaper and it says, 'Help wanted, but not you,'" Noah joked.

Noah also likened Scaramucci's record-short time in office to that of a bad summer song. 

“Scaramucci came into our lives, made everyone obsessed with him for like a week, and then he left us with nothing but memories and a bunch of weird moves," Noah said, copying "the Mooch's" signature hand gestures during his time at the White House podium.

Noah also poked fun at Priebus and his fly-catching duties. 

“President Trump that's just wrong. You don't call Reince Priebus in to kill a fly. You call Melania. She's an expert in swatting pests."

Stephen Colbert
"I was shocked by this breaking 'new-ch,'" the "Late Show" host began his broadcast. Colbert called attention to the fact that Scaramucci's time as communication director was less than two weeks, saying, "That's not even a whole pay period."

"His going away party can serve what's left of his welcome cake," he added.

And even though Trump tweeted Monday morning that there was "no WH chaos!," Scaramucci was axed just six hours later.

"Evidently 'no chaos' wasn't bragging, it was complaining," Colbert said.

The host then offered a farewell song to the former aide, saying, "Anthony Scaramucci, we hardly knew-chi."

Colbert sang a parody of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody":

"Mama, I just got canned. Barely got to the White House. Said some dumb stuff, now I'm out.

"Mama, my job had just begun. And now I've gone and thrown it all away.

"Mama, Mooch didn't mean to cause outcry. I won't be back to mooch this time tomorrow.

"Carry on. Carry on, without the old front-stabber."

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