The Daily Show: Ears Edition
Pete Hegseth Grilled in Senate Hearing, Boyd Holbrook on Playing Johnny Cash
Wed, 15 Jan 2025
Jordan Klepper recaps Pete Hegseth's contentious Senate confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense. Desi Lydic teaches Jordan Klepper a lesson on digging too deeply into Trump's cabinet selects. Plus, a new Daily Showography | Pete Hegseth: Overserved with Honor. Actor Boyd Holbrook sits down with Jordan Klepper to talk about his experience playing Johnny Cash in the new film, “A Complete Unknown.” They discuss working with director James Mangold on the legacy of playing Johnny Cash, Cash’s letters to Bob Dylan on the back of airplane barf bags, the pressures of portraying a real person on film, and how Christian Bale threw him a bone early in his career.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapter 1: What happened at Pete Hegseth's Senate confirmation hearing?
But it means we're invading Greenland on Tuesday. So, we got to decide who is going to lead the armada, which is why today the Senate held its first confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for defense secretary and dude who makes sure everyone at the frat house has their stories straight. Now, since he was nominated a couple months ago, we found out a lot about Hegseth.
And most of it does not inspire confidence. He's been accused of sexual assault. He was accused of nearly running a veterans group into the ground. And he has a documented history of excessive drinking, which we learned even more about today.
Chapter 2: What allegations have been made against Pete Hegseth?
A Hegseth acquaintance describes a breakfast they had with Hegseth in the spring of 2023. We met at Fox News in New York for breakfast, and he suggested we go across the street to a bar. It was like 10 in the morning. Then he ordered two gin and tonics at the same time for himself. Then he had a third gin and tonic.
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa, Hegseth is rolling up to breakfast like, I'll have the steel-cut oatmeal and three gin and tonics, please. You know what they say, beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor before liquor, I'll have another liquor. This definitely raises some questions for the person you may want to put in charge of the nukes. So, let's jump into today's confirmation hearing.
And you know what, I'm not saying he showed up drunk, but it did start at 10 a.m., So how about we start with a quick sobriety test? You know, something simple. Pete, how about name your kids?
Our seven wonderful kids. Gunner, Jackson, Peter Boone, Kensington, Luke, Rex. Sorry, that's a lot of them. And Gwendolyn.
Little tipsy, okay. Big deal. All right, no biggie. My dad was always mixing up me and my siblings' names, and he launched perfectly successful counteroffensive rapid deployment amphibious incursions into Iran all the time. Although Pete probably should have given his kids names he could remember more easily.
Maybe like Don Julio, Jim Beam, Johnny Walker, Jose Cuervo, and don't forget little Michael Hard Lemonade. Anyway, now that that's over, it's time for the grilling. Republicans, I know he's your guy, but I also know you love the military, so I'm sure you've got some hard questions for the man who wants to run it.
Huh.
Follow-up question, sir. I have this jar. Could a big, strong man like yourself open it? Okay, okay, but Democrats made up for those softballs with a couple pitches that were really high and inside.
I assume that in each of your weddings, you've pledged to be faithful to your wife. You've taken an oath to do that, haven't you? You've admitted that you had sex at that hotel on October 2017. And you were still married, and you just had a child by another woman. Again. How do you explain your judgment?
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Chapter 3: How did the Senate question Pete Hegseth's judgment?
Tell him, Pete, no women in combat roles.
Let's make it very clear for everyone here today. As Secretary of Defense, will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles?
Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles.
From Washington, D.C., The Flash, apparently official at 1125 standard time. Pete Hegseth went woke. You know, perhaps the most damning comment about Pete Hegseth came from Pete Hegseth himself when he was explaining what the military needs in its leadership.
The DEI policies of today are not putting meritocracy first. Every single senior officer will be reviewed based on meritocracy. Getting anything that doesn't contribute to meritocracy out of how decisions are made inside the Pentagon. Ensuring readiness and meritocracy is front and center. Meritocracy, meritocracy, meritocracy.
Oh, I know what his next kid's going to be named. You heard him, though. You heard him, folks. A military cannot function unless it's staffed by a system based on pure merit, where only the most qualified people rise to the top.
So says your next Secretary of Defense, who will run the most complicated, powerful, deadly organization the world has ever known and whose only qualification is that Trump liked watching him sit on a couch on Saturday mornings. But... But listening to Republicans today, it seems like that's going to be enough to get him confirmed.
I just want to say, for all the talk of experience and not coming from the same cocktail parties that permanent Washington is used to, you are a breath of fresh air.
Well, that's not what the breathalyzer said, but... But okay. Okay.
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Chapter 4: What are Pete Hegseth's views on women in combat?
Desi, it's not that simple.
I'll tell you what's not so simple, your dad's browser history, because I went through it. IlliterateMilfs.com. Food Network Nip Slips. NudeAfrica.com.
Okay, stop it. All right. No, there's no way that's my dad.
Chapter 5: How does Pete Hegseth justify his controversial statements?
MapQuest.com.
Oh, God, that's my dad.
Amtrak sluts. JanetRenoCameltoe.gov. No, stop it.
Stop it. Stop it. Okay.
See? Not so fun knowing things you can't do anything about, huh? Look, I spent Trump's first term knowing every single sexist, misogynist, racist detail about his freak squad. And where did that get us? Four more years of this freak squad.
So what, you're just gonna ignore it and not do your job?
It's called self-care, Jordan. It was invented by Gwyneth Paltrow in 2008. So at this point, I don't want to know any of the disturbing details about Trump's nominees. I don't want to ruin my day finding out one of them killed a puppy.
Actually, Kristi Noem did kill a puppy.
My God, why would you say that, you jack off?
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Chapter 6: What was the reaction to Hegseth's policies during the hearing?
Because she's nominated for Homeland Security. Stop it, stop it, stop it. You can't just give up knowing things, Desi. Democracy dies in darkness.
Yes, but democracy also sleeps better in darkness. It can bundle up all cozy and hide under its weighted blanket and numb itself with CBD gummies until it wakes up in 2028. Doesn't that sound nice?
Oh, no.
No, Desi, no. Look, I know it is hard, Desi. I know it's scary. But it is the sacred duty of journalists to investigate our leaders, to uncover the truth, no matter how uncomfortable or upsetting it may be.
Junkyard sluts butt stuff. Junkyard sluts butt stuff redhead.
No, okay.
Hoes cutting their own bangs. Glenn Close Cruella. Stop it.
Ignorance is bliss. Desi Lydic, everyone.
When we come back, we find out more on America's defense secretary. Don't go away.
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Chapter 7: Who is Boyd Holbrook and what role did he play?
A whistleblower report that claims when Hegseth was president of Concerned Veterans for America, he was, quote, repeatedly intoxicated to the point of needing to be carried out of the organization's events.
The allegations of Hegseth's debauchery were overwhelming. Nothing now would be able to persuade the Senate that he was fit for... I intend to support Pete. He made the pledge to me that he will not touch a drop of alcohol as secretary.
He offered up to me that he's not drinking, and that's not something he's going to do when confirmed here.
Oh, well, never mind then. And so America's war on woke is now truly ready to begin. With Pete Hegseth at the helm, the Department of Defense will finally have a true leader. Maybe if I do well, I'll get a pint. And one can only assume absolutely insane Christmas parties.
When we come back, Boyd Holbrook will be joining me on the show. Don't go away.
Welcome.
Thank you for having me.
Of course. Thank you. Just in watching that scene, a convincing drunk. Right. Yes. You're both Johnny Cash and an inebriated Johnny Cash in that specific scene. How do you prepare? Do you go method in a drunk scene?
Yeah, you definitely want to go method for a 12-hour shoot.
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