The Comedy Central show “Tooning Out The News” prank called Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker and aired the call Wednesday night.
Walker last Friday during a debate with his opponent and current Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock showed an honorary sheriff’s badge given to him by Johnson County Sheriff Greg Rowland. He claimed it was real and not a prop, saying he supports law enforcement. (The badge does not provide Walker arresting authority.)
“Everyone can make fun,” Walker said in an NBC interview, saying the badge means he has “the right to work with the police getting things done.”
“Tooning Out the News” is an animated parody “news” program created by Stephen Colbert. The lead anchor James Smartwood and his “news” team make light of stories and interview real-world guests, newsmakers and analysts. Season 3 of the show debuted on October 5 and airs every Wednesday night after “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.”
The prank began with Smartwood calling Walker and telling him he worked at “Big News” and needed Walker’s help after his laptop was stolen from his car. Walker wanted a phone number to call to follow up. Smartwood asked if Walker could dust for fingerprints or check out security cameras., then wondering if he could “hop in the squad car, you know, flick on the sirens, come down here or, maybe like go undercover or something?”
Walker didn’t directly respond to those requests, took Smartwood’s number and hung up.
Smartwood then told the rest of his “news” team: “I gave him the wrong number. I don’t want him having my number.”
Here is the transcript supplied by Comedy Central Wednesday evening:
[SMARTWOOD DIALS PHONE, HERSCHEL WALKER PICKS UP]
HERSCHEL WALKER: Hello?
JAMES SMARTWOOD: Mr. Walker, hey, this is James Smartwood from Big News. Do you have a second to chat?
HERSCHEL WALKER: What paper are you with now?
JAMES SMARTWOOD: It’s Big News. Basically, what I wanted to do is I wanted to report a crime. I left my window down in my car last night, someone stole my laptop out of the passenger seat, and so I’m just trying to figure out if there’s any way in your- as someone who’s a law enforcement person - if there’s any way you can take a look at it.
HERSCHEL WALKER: Well, I’ll tell you what I’ll do is we’ll report your thing, and all that and stuff. That’ll be great. What we’ll do is, you got a number I can call?
JAMES SMARTWOOD: Uh, yeah. Sure, one second it’s: <phone number bleeped>
HERSCHEL WALKER: Wait wait wait, let me get paper.
JAMES SMARTWOOD: Sure, now I mean, if it is something you could take care of, is it something where you could go down there and kinda get some fingerprints, check out the security cameras and all that?
HERSCHEL WALKER: You said, <phone number bleeped>?
JAMES SMARTWOOD: Mm-hmm
HERSCHEL WALKER: Okay.
JAMES SMARTWOOD: <phone number bleeped>
HERSCHEL WALKER: <phone number bleeped>
JAMES / HERSCHEL: <phone number bleeped>
JAMES SMARTWOOD: But the, ya know I’m just trying, the main thing though is that I wanna get to this laptop. Is there any chance you can hop in the squad car, you know, flick on the sirens, come down here or, maybe like go undercover or something?
HERSCHEL WALKER: Uh, what can you do, can you do anything?
JAMES SMARTWOOD: No, I mean, I’m not, I’m not actually- you know I don’t have the authority.
HERSCHEL WALKER: Let me call you then at this number.
JAMES SMARTWOOD: That sounds great. Alright, thank you, sir. (TO PANEL) I gave him the wrong number. I don’t want him having my number.
JUNIOR: Oh, absolutely not.
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