Nightly Scroll with Hayley Caronia – Episode 216
“Don Lemon Barges Into Church Service” – January 20, 2026
EPISODE OVERVIEW
In this high-energy episode, Hayley Caronia spotlights recent anti-ICE protests erupting in Minnesota, drilling into viral incidents—including Don Lemon confronting church pastors—and delivers scathing conservative analysis on liberal protest culture, media spin, and hypocrisy over ICE enforcement. Hayley dissects the media’s response, celebrity virtue signaling, and discusses broader social and political trends, all with her typical candid, sarcastic style. The episode also features viral clips, listener engagement, and some lighter internet trends.
KEY DISCUSSION POINTS AND INSIGHTS
1. Show Updates and Personal Anecdotes
- Hayley teases upcoming schedule and branding changes: “This is Nightly Scroll. In two weeks it will be Scrolling with Haley. New logo, new set, all the changes are going to be good.” [00:38]
- She enthusiastically shares a personal highlight: Nicki Minaj liked her tweet—underscoring her fan loyalty and setting a casual, upbeat tone early in the show.
2. Minnesota Protests: Chaos at Churches
- Hayley tackles a series of viral protests at city churches in St. Paul, where activists disrupted services to call out supposed apathy toward ICE’s enforcement and deportations:
- Quote (Hayley): “Protesters try to put themselves in the middle of everything. They've got nothing to do ... It’s about rage bait. It’s about getting attention.” [03:53]
- Hayley plays a video of the church disruption, noting the protesters accused worshippers of hypocrisy and failing marginalized communities:
- “You have nice clothes, nice lives with your lattes, doing absolutely nothing for your Latino and Somali brothers and sisters ... You are sinners. You’re pretending to be Christians.” [05:00]
3. Critique of Protest Methods and Hypocrisy
- Hayley’s core arguments:
- Protesters “would not dare enter a mosque or any other place of worship... They blame Christians and it stops there.” [06:45]
- She rejects the targeting of worshippers for ICE policies made and enforced by both Democratic and Republican administrations.
- Quote (Hayley): “All of these people claiming, oh, the protesters. Oh, it's our First Amendment right. Why does your First Amendment right trump the worshipers' First Amendment right?” [12:17]
- Compares the protesters’ performative outrage to “look at me” social activism: “This is the 2026 version of the BLM black square on Instagram in 2020.” [10:01]
4. Don Lemon Confronts Church Pastor
- Key Segment: Don Lemon, in a viral video, confronts City’s Church pastor in Minnesota as protests break out:
- Pastor (Jonathan Parnell): “It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship ... We’re here to worship Jesus.” [13:15]
- Don Lemon: “Don’t you think Jesus would be understanding? ... I’m a Christian, I’m always worshiping.” [13:50]
- Hayley’s reaction is deeply sarcastic and unimpressed:
- “He's a Christian. The same way Biden is a devout Catholic ... That is what he's saying.” [14:12]
- Hayley and co-host Andy mock Lemon: “Don Lemon is in the pastor's face ... and then he's like, don't touch me, don't push me. It's like you are encroaching ... This is your problem. Oh, my gosh.” [14:42–15:12]
- They argue Lemon is seeking a “Nick Shirley moment” to boost his own profile, not to perform real journalism.
5. Aftermath: Don Lemon Responds
- Lemon attempts damage control, blaming media for mischaracterizing his actions:
- Don Lemon: “MAGAs and the fake news magazine are losing their mind over something that's not even true ... We were there chronicling protests ... That’s it. It's called journalism. First Amendment.” [16:47]
- Hayley scoffs at Lemon's “I was just doing journalism” defense:
- “Don Lemon teaching us about journalism is rich ... He disrupted the service to interview the pastor ... Why not interview the pastor after the service is over?” [17:55]
6. Don Lemon & Identity Politics in Media
- On Jennifer Welch's podcast, Lemon attributes backlash to racism and homophobia:
- Don Lemon: “There’s a certain degree of entitlement ... That entitlement comes from a supremacy, a white supremacy ... They think this is a Christian country ... I do understand I’m the biggest name there ... I’m a gay black man in America.” [19:06]
- Hayley's reaction: “There it is. How did I become the face of this? ... Well, they're targeting you because you're black and gay. That's it ... Don Lemon, all of your victim cards are declined.” [19:51]
7. Generalizing Protester Behavior
- Viral clips show the tendency to accuse uninvolved citizens of being ICE agents:
- “Basically, if you're white and have a truck in Minnesota, you're ICE.” [21:51]
- “If you're not out there protesting, you are the enemy. That's it.” [23:01]
8. Administrative Comparison: Obama, Trump, Biden on ICE
- Hayley reviews the priorities of each administration:
- Obama deported 3 million (targeting serious criminals), Trump prioritized criminal aliens, Biden de-emphasized deportations of non-national-security threats, leading to more criminals staying in the U.S.
- Quote: “The difference is Trump ... The difference isn't what ICE is doing; the difference is who is in office.” [24:23]
9. Law Enforcement vs. Protesters—Virtue Signaling & Real Consequences
- Hayley features an ICE agent calling out protesters for impeding arrest of a child sex offender:
- ICE Agent: “We're here to arrest a child sex offender, and you guys are out here honking ... That's who you guys are protecting. Insane.” [31:30]
- Hayley attacks protester priorities: “They’ll go as far as to defend the pedos and scream at the law enforcement officers trying to get them off the streets.” [31:33]
10. Celebrity Reactions & Virtue Signaling
- Bruce Springsteen: Compares ICE to “Gestapo tactics” and dedicates a song to protester Renee Good.
- Hayley: “Nobody is above the law, I guess, except for illegal immigrants ... He excuses Renee Good’s behavior when she was clearly breaking the law.” [33:45]
- Ellen DeGeneres: Offers support for protesters, ties her comment to her last stand-up special taped in Minneapolis. Hayley mocks the self-centered, irrelevant nature of celeb statements. [35:31]
11. Viral/Scrolling Time: Social Trends and Satire
- Hayley features and critiques viral TikToks and internet moments relating to the protests and broader culture:
- White liberals “afraid they’re next” in deportations; LGBTQ+ figures miscasting ICE operations as anti-gay or anti-trans; leftists mocked for their virtue-signaling displays.
- Satirical Segment: A user proposes the "ICE challenge"—try to pick up a date at a bar after saying you work for ICE. “You have charisma if you can pull that off!” [44:53]
12. Transgender Issues & Detransitioner Testimony
- Hayley highlights a detransitioner’s critique of the hormone process and informed consent in youth transitions: “They affirm this delusion ... They see these patients as money signs and that is it.” [45:33–51:09]
13. Lighthearted Scrolling – Viral Animal Videos
- Ending the show on a lighter note, Hayley and Andy react to TikTok trends (imitating owls) and raccoon shenanigans, providing comedic banter and playful speculation about raccoon motivations. [52:10–56:56]
MEMORABLE QUOTES & MOMENTS WITH TIMESTAMPS
-
On virtue signaling:
“This is the 2026 version of the BLM black square on Instagram in 2020. Look at me. Look at me. I'm one of the good guys.” [10:01] – Hayley -
On Don Lemon's confrontation:
“He is instigating this. And then he's like, don't touch me, don't push me. It's like you are encroaching ... This is your problem.” [14:42] – Andy & Hayley -
On Don Lemon's defense:
“Don Lemon teaching us about journalism is rich ... He disrupted the service to interview the pastor ... Why not interview the pastor after the service is over?” [17:55] – Hayley -
On identity politics:
“Don Lemon, all of your victim cards are declined.” [19:51] – Hayley -
On ICE enforcement hypocrisy:
"Obama deported 3 million illegal aliens under his administration ... Liberals were not in the streets protesting ICE." [24:23] – Hayley -
From ICE agent addressing protesters:
“We're here to arrest a child sex offender, and you guys are out here honking. ... That's who you guys are protecting.” [31:30] – ICE Agent
NOTABLE TIMESTAMPS
- 00:26 – Show update, Nicki Minaj story, set changes preview.
- 04:56 – Clip of protester barging into church service, Hayley commentary.
- 13:15 – Don Lemon confronts pastor, key dialogue exchange.
- 16:47 – Don Lemon’s justification/explanation after backlash.
- 19:06 – Don Lemon on identity, being targeted as a Black gay journalist.
- 21:42 – Restaurant incident: Protesters target diners, accuse them of being ICE.
- 24:23 – Hayley compares ICE policies under Obama, Trump, and Biden.
- 31:30 – ICE agent addresses virtue-signaling protesters during arrest of sex offender.
- 32:50 – Bruce Springsteen’s concert comments.
- 35:31 – Ellen DeGeneres’ video message, Hayley’s reaction.
- 44:53 – Viral “ICE Challenge” segment: satirical take on dating and protest culture.
- 45:33 – Detransitioner testimony on transition regret, medical establishment critique.
- 52:10–57:01 – Viral animal videos (owls, raccoons), comedic close.
OVERALL TONE
Hayley’s delivery is sharp, witty, and unapologetic, with frequent sarcasm and biting criticism of liberal activism, media hypocrisy, and identity politics. The tone ranges from serious conservative commentary to playful mockery in scrolling time segments.
SUMMARY FOR THE UNINITIATED
This episode is a fiery deconstruction of current protest culture in Minnesota with a sharp focus on the viral Don Lemon church confrontation. Hayley threads together themes of media hypocrisy, the performative nature of liberal protest, celebrity virtue signaling, and the ongoing immigration debate—all while maintaining her energetic, conversational approach. Whether you agree with her conservative perspective or not, the episode is engaging, wide-ranging, and captures the pulse of right-wing commentary on culture war flashpoints in early 2026.