The week’s news cycle presented a bizarre pairing of global politics and cutting-edge technology, both of which became ripe targets for late-night comedy. On one side, President Donald Trump’s highly public, and increasingly fervent, attempts to secure a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dominated headlines during his recent trip to Asia. On the other, tech mogul Elon Musk’s new AI-generated encyclopedia, Grokipedia, launched with a noticeable and immediate bias toward the far-right, quickly sparking controversy over the future of digital knowledge. The Tonight Show took aim at both developments, highlighting the absurdity and the inherent risks associated with these attention-grabbing spectacles.

The former President’s trip to Asia was ostensibly focused on trade and diplomatic relations, but the story that captivated the media—and late-night hosts—was his persistent, almost urgent, signaling of his desire to meet with Kim Jong Un. The political reality is that official diplomatic talks between the US and North Korea have been stalled for years following the collapse of their last summit. Yet, throughout his trip, Mr. Trump appeared almost single-mindedly focused on resurrecting the relationship, repeatedly telling reporters that he was “open” to a meeting, that he would “love” to see Kim, and even suggesting he would extend his trip if the North Korean leader gave the word.

To the comedic observer, this wasn’t the confident posture of a former leader but the transparent eagerness of someone desperately seeking a grand, televised moment. The late-night take was simple: Donald Trump was acting like a teenager with an unrequited crush, sending message after public message, hoping the object of his affection would finally notice him. They pointed out the stark contrast between the former President’s public attempts to reach out—including joking about Kim’s lack of cell service—and the seriousness of the geopolitical situation.

The problem, as the commentary emphasized, wasn’t the idea of diplomacy itself, but the nature of the outreach. This was not quiet, back-channel work by diplomats; it was a loud, attention-seeking performance that stripped the former President of any negotiating leverage. By publicly broadcasting his availability and keen desire for a meeting, he inadvertently framed himself as the supplicant, effectively handing North Korea the power to decide the terms and timing of any future engagement. The comedy lay in the sheer lack of diplomatic “chill.” When the North Korean side, in response, cited a “busy schedule” as the reason a meeting couldn’t be arranged, the entire exchange was instantly cast in the light of an embarrassing rejection. The image of a powerful former US President being publicly rebuffed by a dictator he has repeatedly expressed admiration for is a rich vein of dark comedy, perfectly illustrating the personalized, and often impulsive, nature of his foreign policy approach.

Shifting gears to the technology world, the launch of Elon Musk’s new encyclopedia, Grokipedia, immediately ignited a firestorm. Musk presented the platform as a “less biased” alternative to Wikipedia, which he and many conservatives have frequently criticized for harboring a liberal ideological slant. The intention was to create a source of knowledge generated and curated by his AI model, Grok, with the supposed aim of seeking “maximal truth.”

However, the reality of the launch revealed a starkly different picture. Almost immediately, analyses and initial reviews revealed that Grokipedia was anything but neutral. Instead of correcting a perceived left-leaning bias, the AI-generated content swung wildly toward the opposite end of the spectrum, consistently reflecting a far-right ideological perspective. The comedic angle here lay in the predictable and transparent nature of this “alternative truth.” Musk, in attempting to build a system free of “wokeness,” appears to have simply created an echo chamber that validates a specific political worldview.

The jokes centered on the hypocrisy of replacing one alleged bias with another. Critics quickly pointed out the irony of Grokipedia relying heavily on the human-curated data of the very platform (Wikipedia) it claims to despise, with many articles appearing to be merely filtered versions rather than truly independent knowledge. The AI’s tendency to downplay or omit controversies related to conservative figures, while amplifying culture-war talking points, was highlighted as a major flaw.

For instance, Grokipedia entries on politically charged topics—or even on Elon Musk himself—showed a noticeable difference from the standard encyclopedia format, often using rapturous language to describe its creator and omitting critical details about his controversial statements or business dealings. This phenomenon led to the humorous observation that Grokipedia wasn’t an encyclopedia at all, but a self-congratulatory mirror reflecting its founder’s political and personal preferences.

The concern raised by the late-night segment transcended mere bias; it touched on the fundamental definition of “truth.” If the most advanced AI tools are being deliberately steered to create a partisan reality, what does that mean for a society already grappling with deep misinformation? The comedy served as a Trojan horse for a serious question: is the quest for an “unbiased” AI simply a disguise for building AI that agrees with the political leanings of its owner? The punchline is that a truly objective AI remains elusive, replaced instead by a politically charged chatbot dressed up as an authoritative source of knowledge.

In combining these two disparate news stories, The Tonight Show offered a pointed commentary on the state of the media landscape. Whether it’s the desperate public plea of a former President to secure a photo-op or a billionaire’s attempt to algorithmically redefine truth, the common thread is the performative nature of power in the digital age. Both events were less about substance—diplomatic progress or objective knowledge—and more about manipulating public perception through high-profile, attention-grabbing moves. This environment creates fertile ground for satire, as the line between political reality and absurd spectacle continues to blur.