Stephen Colbert used a portion of the "Late Show" Tuesday night to rail into Alex Jones.
"Folks, there was some bad news recently for extreme right-wing conspiracy theorist and bath salts spokesmodel, Alex Jones," he said, "because it looks like his website Infowars just lost their war on info."
Colbert shared the news that major companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Spotify, all erased most of the posts and videos on their platforms from Jones. "They're gone. They're out of there," he added.
The late-night host cited a New York Times article that reported:
Apple, Google, Facebook and Spotify severely restricted the reach of Mr. Jones and Infowars, his right-wing site that has been a leading peddler of false information online. Mr. Jones and Infowars have used social media for years to spread dark and bizarre theories, such as that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax and that Democrats run a global child-sex ring. Apple made its move on Sunday and the others followed on Monday.
"So, now if you want to see one of Jones' signature rants, you'll have to be in the next booth at Ruby Tuesday's, when he sees a mother breastfeeding," Colbert quipped. "Fun side note: Pinterest also took down their Infowars page, which is bad news if you were planning an autumn wedding with the theme 'gay frog chemtrails.'"
"So why now? Why did this happen now?" he continued. "Alex Jones has been spreading vile conspiracy theories that hurt real people for years. Well, Jones earned this latest scrutiny when he addressed Russia investigation Special Counsel Robert Mueller on his show, imitated firing a gun, and said, 'You’re going to get it, or I’m going to die trying.' Okay, that is awful, but it’s actually pretty close to my message to Mueller: 'You’re going to get him, or I’m going to die crying.'"
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Colbert then played a clip from the Infowars site where Jones tried to appeal directly to his viewers for financial support, as he's now cut off from the wide reach of social media. "Feed your gladiator," Jones pleaded.
Reviving the Alex Jones-inspired Tuck Buckford, a character Colbert debuted last April, he employed Jones' deep, raspy voice and addressed Brain Fight Nation.
"All right, listen up, Brain Fight nation, the Brain Fighters, the Brain Nation, the skull meat, let’s talk about the elephant in the room," Buckford said. "The martyrdom of old Tuck Buckford at the hands of Silicon Valley snow boys and soy flakes." Buckford, too, was kicked off YouTube, Facebook and a whole slew off other known and unknown platforms, but he's "still broadcasting from the nation’s last bastion of free speech, the in-house web player on the homepage for Haterade, the knock-off sports drink for athletic Klansmen."
"Now, it’s a slippery slope. If they can de-platform Tuck Buckford, next thing you know they’ll be coming after me for so-called child support which I 'owe' to my 'ex-wife' who I 'miss desperately,'" he said, using hilarious and emphatic air quotes.
In a near-perfect imitation of Alex Jones' pleas to President Donald Trump, Buckford added, "President Trump, I need you to do the right thing, all right? Help Tuck. Venmo me fifty bucks, or China will win the midterms, alright? You must feed the gladiator."
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