Seth Meyers Fires Back After Trump Calls Him ‘Probably Illegal’ in Explosive Truth Social Rant
NBC’s ‘Late Night’ Goes On Brief Hiatus While Meyers Has Covid

Donald Trump is once again at war with late-night television — and this time, Seth Meyers isn’t backing down.

Over the weekend, the 79-year-old former president launched one of his trademark Truth Social tirades, calling the Late Night with Seth Meyers host “a truly deranged lunatic,” “the least talented person in television,” and — most bizarrely — claiming Meyers’ jokes were “probably illegal.”

“NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI-TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!” Trump wrote on November 1, after Meyers mocked his recent comments about “steam catapults” on aircraft carriers during a trip to Asia.

On Friday’s show, Meyers aired a clip of Trump speaking to U.S. troops in Japan, where he promised an executive order to bring back “superior” steam-powered launch systems. Introducing a new segment called ‘Seth Translates Trump to English’, Meyers joked:

“I’ll try my best to explain what he’s talking about.”

He added,

“Experts say it would cost billions to return to steam catapults, but Trump thinks he knows more about aviation than anyone else because he dances like one of those guys holding signaling sticks on the runway.”

The segment included a doctored clip of Trump dancing in an air marshal’s vest with flashing lights — the audience roared, but Trump didn’t find it funny.

In his Truth Social rant, Trump continued:

“Seth Meyers of NBC may be the least talented person to perform live in the history of television… A truly deranged lunatic. Why does NBC waste time and money on a guy like this???”

Then the signature all-caps punchline:

“NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI-TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!”

Meyers responded on Monday night with a grin:

“I’d like to thank the president for finally acknowledging that jokes can be illegal. Honestly, I’ve been trying to get arrested for this material for years.”

He continued:

“It’s a weird day when a sitting president — well, sitting when he’s not golfing — calls you a criminal for a catapult joke. But I’m honored. That’s the kind of reaction I dream about when I write these at 2 a.m., with a bag of pretzels and a broken spirit.”

Getting serious, Meyers addressed Trump’s fixation on late-night comedy:

“Jokes aren’t crimes. Criticism isn’t censorship. And if satire feels illegal to you, maybe the problem isn’t the comedian.”

This latest exchange is just the newest chapter in Trump’s long-running feud with late-night hosts. Earlier this year, he mocked Jimmy Kimmel after Jimmy Kimmel Live! faced a brief suspension and cheered when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert went off air. He’s repeatedly called for NBC to “clean house” over what he calls “left-wing propaganda disguised as comedy.”

After NBC renewed Meyers’ contract in August, Trump lashed out again:

“He has no ratings, talent, or intelligence, and the personality of an insecure child.”

But Meyers wasn’t intimidated. Ending Monday’s show, he looked directly at the camera:

“Mr. President, if mocking you on Late Night is illegal, then lock me up. But only if I can bring my writers — because I need the material.”

The audience erupted in applause. As Meyers waved goodnight, the studio band played Born Free — a perfect punchline Trump couldn’t control.