Appearing as a guest on Friday's The 11th Hour show on MS NOW, unfunny liberal comedian John Fugelsang accused Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) of being a "bigot" and compared the black Republican to a drug dealer who puts other drug dealers in jail.

The comments came as fill-in host Catherine Rampell brought up the race for governor in Florida:

So, speaking of potentially flipping certain offices, as I mentioned in the last segment, the Republican primary to replace Florida governor Ron DeSantis has been like, totally nuts. You have the Trump-endorsed candidate, Byron Donalds. You have this bigoted guy, James Fishback. And Donalds, of course, has endured -- has embraced the anti-weaponization fear.

After Rampell called Republican candidate James Fishback "bigoted" and then brought up Donalds, Fugelsang jumped in: "Hey, let's be clear. Donalds is a bigot, too. He's a bigot as well. Come on, now."

Rampell went along with the liberal comedian and then called the Republican nominees a "clown car" as the MS NOW host continued:

Okay, if you say so. Florida has not actually had a Democratic governor that is elected in over 30 years. Like since I was a child growing up in Florida. And so my question to you is, given this sort of clown car of candidates who are running on the Republican ticket, is this the chance for David Jolly, who's running as the Democrat, to actually finally turn that governor's mansion blue?

Fugelsang soon compared Donalds to a drug dealer as the back and forth continued:

FUGELSANG: A lot will depend on who the Republicans pick. I think.

RAMPELL: Well, who's the good one?

FUGELSANG: Who's the best -- as a comedian or as a civic society? It's hard to say. I mean, Byron Donalds is like the guy you'd buy weed from and then watch him put other men in jail for selling weed, isn't he? So there's that.

The liberal comedian then repeated Rampell's characterization of Republicans as a "clown car" as he added:

David Jolly gets to come out there and say, "I'm not a radical. I was a Republican. And then I looked around and saw what was going on. Their entire MO is selling the Democratic party as communist, radical, groomer, transgender lunatic." And by having a former Republican there that will help in ways that having someone on the left wouldn't. It's all going to come down to which unqualified clown the Republicans pick for their nominee.

Transcript follows:

MS NOW's The 11th Hour

August 14, 2027

11:39 p.m. Eastern

JOHN FUGELSANG: I would just add, having a democratic socialist in the primary allows a lot of issues, including health care for all that might not be raised to get out there in the zeitgeist. And it lets (Jared) Moskowitz sell himself even more as a moderate, which will help him as soon as the primary is over.

CATHERINE RAMPELL: So, speaking of potentially flipping certain offices, as I mentioned in the last segment, the Republican primary to replace Florida governor Ron Desantis has been like, totally nuts. You have the Trump-endorsed candidate, Byron Donalds. You have this bigoted guy, James Fishback. And Donalds, of course, has endured -- has embraced the anti- weaponization fear.

FUGELSANG: Hey, let's be clear. Donalds is a bigot, too. He's a bigot as well. Come on, now.

RAMPELL: Okay, if you say so. Florida has not actually had a Democratic governor that is elected in over 30 years. Like since I was a child growing up in Florida. And so my question to you is, given this sort of clown car of candidates who are running on the Republican ticket, is this the chance for David Jolly, who's running as the Democrat, to actually finally turn that governor's mansion blue?

FUGELSANG: A lot will depend on who the Republicans pick. I think.

RAMPELL: Well, who's the good one?

FUGELSANG: Who's the best -- as a comedian or as a civic society? It's hard to say. I mean, Byron Donalds is like the guy you'd buy weed from and then watch him put other men in jail for selling weed, isn't he? So there's that.

David Jolly gets to come out there and say, "I'm not a radical. I was a Republican. And then I looked around and saw what was going on. Their entire MO is selling the Democratic party as communist, radical, groomer, transgender lunatic."

And by having a former Republican there that will help in ways that having someone on the left wouldn't. It's all going to come down to which unqualified clown the Republicans pick for their nominee. And then the big factor will be: How many MAGAs stay at home like they did in '22 and '18?

RAMPELL: Yeah, yeah. Excellent questions.