Late night talk shows had the final word on Groundhog Day, using their monologues to poke fun at one of America’s most ridiculous holidays.
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Thursday, signaling six more weeks of winter, according to lore. The rodent meteorologist also should have foreseen 24 hours of jokes at his expense. “Late Night with Seth Meyers” put things in proper perspective.
“OK, but did he see his shadow or just a calendar?” Meyers asked. “Of course winter’s not over. It’s February 2nd. There’s still football. Can we at least move this stupid ritual to mid-March where there’s a little mystery?”
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” pointed out Punxsutawney Phil’s poor track record for prognostication, posting only a 39% accuracy rate in more than a century of forecasts.
“Thirty-nine percent is pretty bad,” Colbert quipped. “In fact, I think I can beat it every time with my own prediction pal — Punxsutawney Quarter.”
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” also remarked on Phil’s subpar prediction abilities, giving him a future in meteorology.
“Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, but I heard he’s only right 40% of the time,” Fallon said. “When they heard that Weather.com was like ‘You’re hired. When can you start?’ “
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” took Groundhog Day to the next level by making political comparisons to the tradition.
“Phil did see his shadow, I think, I don’t know, which means we have six more weeks of George Santos,” Kimmel joked.
“The Late Late Show with James Corden” stayed above the Groundhog fray but did take a jab at “another furry rodent” — former President Donald Trump and his sluggish third presidential campaign.
“Donald Trump is struggling to raise funds for his presidential campaign, so much so that he’s considering revamping his fundraising operation,” Corden said. “I’m confused, does that mean he will or won’t be selling garbage steaks and fake college degrees?
“In the coming weeks Trump is expected to build a more traditional fundraising structure — coercion, extortion, fraud and, of course, a bake sale.”
