Daily Show Host Confronts Violent January 6 Rioter: ‘How Did They Manipulate You to Punch a Cop?’

The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper confronted a January 6 Capitol rioter who pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer, but blamed “paid instigators” during the most recent episode of the show.

In a special titled MAGA: The Next Generation that aired on Monday, Klepper spoke to younger supporters of President Donald Trump. Klepper noted the cross section of UFC fans and MAGA followers, which brought him to Scott Fairlamb, a retired MMA fighter, who can be seen on camera during the January 6 riot punching an officer in the head.

“Obviously, there were paid instigators, agitators, and motivators that were in that crowd,” Fairlamb told Klepper.

“They were manipulating people?” Klepper asked.

“Absolutely,” Fairlamb confidently said.

“How did they manipulate you to punch a cop?” Klepper pressed.

“Now you’re just trying to be funny. That makes no fucking sense,” Fairlamb said.

“Do you not see your actions as violent that day?” Klepper asked, surprised.

“I see it as self -defense,” Fairlamb declared.

After pleading guilty in 2021 to assaulting a police officer and obstructing an official proceeding, Fairlamb was sentenced to 41 months behind bars.

Klepper noted other January 6 rioters have similarly described themselves as “victims” and not “perpetrators” of violence. Though things got heated between Fairlamb and Klepper, the two did put on a show of bipartisanship with a duet performance of the national anthem.

Fairlamb was part of the J6 choir, which consisted of imprisoned rioters who sang the national anthem together every night. Klepper joked he did not want to offend the choir, but their harmonies were a bit “mid.”

“Let’s hear your rendition. Let’s go,” Fairlamb said in response to the criticism.

Klepper jumped right into it and Fairlamb followed along.

“We got to take this on tour,” Fairlamb later told Klepper as they cut back to the pair singing.

“I was going to say, do you know any Woody Guthrie?” Klepper asked.

Speaking to Variety last week, Klepper teased his MAGA special by saying he was surprised how “kind” the Trump supporters he met were.

“I had such a cynical perspective of the youth walking into this thing,” he said. “I expected to be confronted by a bunch of dicks — 22-year-olds who want to rail on trans people in sports and kick out all the immigrants. But the cruelty wasn’t there.”

Watch above via Comedy Central.