A pair of NASA astronauts whose 1-week mission unexpectedly turned into nine months on the International Space Station are back on Earth. So to welcome them home, “The Daily Show” went ahead and created a video catching them up on everything they’ve missed.
On Wednesday night’s episode of the Comedy Central series, host Jordan Klepper applauded the safe return of Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, whose landing actually included an appearance from dolphins who happened to be nearby.
“That is incredible. I mean, I wish the dolphins hadn’t welcomed them back with a Sieg Heil, but still, it’s a beautiful moment for humanity,” Klepper joked.
The host was, of course, referring to Elon Musk appearing to give a Nazi salute at Donald Trump’s inauguration, which the astronauts missed while in space. And that’s not the only thing they missed, so “The Daily Show” — or NASA, as they joked — created a welcome back video to recap everything that’s happened since last year.
“Hello astronauts and welcome back to Earth. You got to see dolphins before they went extinct. How cool is that?” Desi Lydic joked. “As you are flown back to the U.S., this video will re-acclimate your mind on what you missed while you were in space. First, the Gulf of Mexico you landed in is now the Gulf of America. But don’t worry, the name change is symbolic. We’re not going to war with Mexico. We’re going to war with Canada and Greenland, maybe Panama, also Mexico.”
Speaking of wars, Lydic also noted that, since the astronauts have been gone, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now being explained by the Trump administration as Ukraine provoking Russia.
“And after you enter U.S. territory, your space capsule will face crippling steel tariffs and you will be deported to an El Salvadorian prison just until we’re sure that you’re not Venezuelan gang members,” she continued cheerfully. “And after your release in 2026, you will be honored at the White House, which is now run by Fox News anchors.”
Lydic also caught them up on Trump’s cabinet appoints before specifically speaking to Williams and informing her that she likely doesn’t have a job anymore.
“See, when you left, you were a female astronaut. Now you’re a DEI astronaut, and also you’re fired,” Lydic joked. “But don’t worry, you’ll find another job. Although just a heads up, the stock market is down and eggs are $400 but those are both good things, and also Joe Biden’s fault.”
Lydic then explained that NASA was the latest hit by DOGE cuts, so the odds of anyone going back up into space to escape all this are low. “So from all of us here in America, welcome to Hell — Earth!” she corrected herself. “Welcome back to Earth.”
