John Leguizamo blasts Stephen Miller over birthright flap
John Leguizamo used a Wednesday night guest-hosting spot on The Daily Show to unload on Stephen Miller, saying he cannot wait to "Nuremberg" the White House deputy chief of staff after Miller attacked birthright citizenship on Fox News. The Emmy-winning Odyssey star mocked Miller's claims and defended the 14th Amendment.
Key Takeaways
- John Leguizamo, 65, guest-hosted The Daily Show and tore into Stephen Miller over birthright citizenship.
- Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff, blasted the Supreme Court's decision upholding the 14th Amendment on Fox News.
- Leguizamo joked he cannot wait to "Nuremberg" Miller and said conservatives invent "ridiculous anti-American plots."
- He argued America follows an "Olive Garden rule" and that "at some point, every white person was here illegally."
The celebrity breaking news moment landed as MAGA figures raged after the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship. According to The Daily Beast, the Trump administration pushed a case to strike down the 14th Amendment, but it did not succeed.
What did John Leguizamo say about Stephen Miller?
Miller, 40, appeared on Fox News with Jesse Watters and condemned the ruling. He claimed people from "third-world nations" can enter the U.S., have a baby "paid for by you and me," and that child automatically becomes a citizen who can later sit on a jury "in judgment" of Americans.
Leguizamo fired back hard. "OK, OK, first of all, I do like knowing that Stephen Miller worries he might actually be put on trial someday," he said, then quipped, "Oh, I can't wait to Nuremberg that motherf---er."
He also needled Miller's jury fear: a baby who sits on a jury at 18 "is not a baby anymore," before mimicking a childlike verdict. MS NOW anchor Chris Hayes separately called Miller's Fox remarks "extreme, unhinged, and racist."
Why did he defend the 14th Amendment so fiercely?
On the same show, The Odyssey actor walked viewers through why panic over birthright citizenship makes little sense. He noted the right is older than "the light bulb, the zipper and Mitch McConnell — barely."
"It's continuing a right that already existed," Leguizamo said. "It's like if they ruled that Jersey is still a state. I mean, I'm not happy about it either, but nothing's changed."
He quoted the amendment's plain language — "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States" — and joked you could understand it "if you were hooked on crack."
How did Leguizamo frame America's citizenship rule?
With a wink at his Christopher Nolan Odyssey project, he said the text needs no modern translation "like that's some kind of ancient Greek text that's getting an incredible adaptation in theaters this weekend." His punchline: "America works on the Olive Garden rule. When you're here, you're family."
After clips of pundits calling birthright citizenship a loophole, he answered the administration's narrower claim that it should not cover children of people here illegally or temporarily: "But how far back do you want to take that? Because at some point, every white person was here illegally."
He also said Miller and other conservatives "are just making up the most ridiculous anti-American plots," joking about Chinese takeovers, Mexican cruise ships, and Greeks sending a giant wooden horse — "you've got to see this on IMAX."