Jordan Klepper was left “choking on pepper spray” while filming the newest episode of The Daily Show’s special series, “Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse.”
Speaking to Variety about the Monday night episode, Klepper explained why he took part in one of Portland’s naked bike rides protesting the Trump administration’s ICE presence in their city.
“Because Donald Trump had crafted this idea that antifa are the only people protesting, the people in Portland decided to shed all of their clothes as an image of non-violence in front of these agents,” Klepper said.
Klepper explained, “As we were talking to people, we watched ICE agents consistently shooting these pepper bullets into the crowd.”
“We watched them shove a musical band dressed in banana suits, knock a clarinetist to the ground, shove her face into the ground,” Klepper said. “Mere seconds after a joyous, comedic protest... It was really something to behold that I’ve never experienced anything like.”
Klepper added, “This is what America feels like right now. Absurdity and cruelty and violence all into one.”
Klepper told Variety, “The violence I saw was so performative, was so reckless, and there was such an intention to provoke.”
He added, “It makes you disgusted to see American servicemen being used to literally attack people in banana costumes playing classical music... I was on the outskirts of it, and we all had to leave because we were choking on pepper spray.”
Clips from the special haven’t been sent in advance to journalists, reportedly because all the nudity of the naked bikers (including Klepper himself) has taken a lot of time for the editors to censor.
Still, Klepper showed a preview of the special to viewers in his Thursday monologue for The Daily Show, which included a brief shot of ICE agents casually shooting pepper bullets into the crowd.
Klepper teased the upcoming special again on Thursday in his “After the Cut” segment. He described his experience at the protests in Portland as one that ultimately inspired him.
“Seeing a little bit of what was happening there in Portland about people who are like, ‘F--- it, I’m showing up,’ that’s half the battle,“ Klepper said.
He told his viewers, “And not only are they showing up, they’re finding the joy and the humor within that. And so that gave me that nice little chunk of hope.”
