Colorado Governor Jared Polis is notoriously weird online. He posts questionable selfies, puts Star Wars references in his speeches, and is all over the latest TikTok trends. I set out to put together his online highlight reel, some of his most viral and unforgettable moments, and try our best to understand … Why is he like this?
Plus, I included my own state of the art emoji rating system for each of the stunts, so you can see how I think his online antics stack up.
Home Improvement Hero
Featuring the tune of the Home Depot theme song, Governor Jared Polis took a miter saw to a stack of 208 “outdated” executive orders back in December 2024, symbolizing the “cutting of red tape” to make government more efficient. This was around the time of the Trump administration’s rollout of the Department of Government Efficiency, and this stunt put Colorado on the map as one of the first states to hop on board.
Gov. Polis proudly touted his miter saw stunt on social media. (Gov. Jared Polis on X)
My take: (🥽🥽🥽) This one was pretty outrageous, but Polis gets some bonus points for hiring artist Joe Molina to take all that shredded paper and make it into something beautiful. His office confirmed it’s still hanging in his office today.
A Flattering Portrait
Earlier this year, President Trump caught wind of his portrait hanging in the Colorado Capitol and was… less than pleased. It turned into a huge media storm on his platform, Truth Social, where the president called the painting “purposely distorted” and said Gov. Polis should be “ashamed of himself” for displaying it. The portrait was taken down, but in a post on X, Gov. Polis mocked the language of the president, showing off a new “official portrait” of himself, which was the South Park cartoon rendition of the Governor.
Portrait Bonito. (Gov. Jared Polis on X)
My take: (🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮) Is it going to take the Governor of Colorado to hang up this portrait in real life to get the South Park guys to open up Casa Bonita for all?!
In Case of Emergency
After voters rejected Prop HH in 2023, Gov. Polis wasn’t ready to give up. He called a press conference, and when reporters showed up he had safety goggles and a baseball bat, and took a swing at a glass case that said, “In case of no HH, break glass.” Inside the case, he revealed an executive order calling lawmakers back in for a special session, to help combat “record property tax increases.”
The metaphorical tools for the job. (RJ Sangosti / Denver Post via Getty Images)
My take: (🦺) I think this could have been better. Why did he need two swings for the tiny glass case? Why was the case so small and in the corner? Why was the executive order a rolled up scroll inside the case? He had the right idea for the dramatics but for me the execution was off.
Platinum Recording Artist
Gov. Polis showed off his bilingual singing skills in a now infamous video on Christmas Eve 2023, where the Governor sings Feliz Navidad, with no background music, while busting out some dance moves in front of the American and Colorado Flags. The video got picked up by multiple right-wing news sources, criticizing the Governor’s timing as migrants were arriving in Denver seemingly while he would have been recording the stunt.
Feliz Navi-Don’t? (Gov. Jared Polis on X)
My take: (🔔🔔) This one was really weird, but I have to give it up to him for not being afraid to sing on the internet, especially without any musical backing! He wasn’t that bad!
‘A Balding Gay Jew from Boulder’
Back in July 2024, when Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was running for president, there was some speculation about who she might choose for a running mate. Right after the news came that President Biden would be dropping out of the race, online rumors were swirling about who might run beside Harris. When CNN asked Gov. Polis if he would consider, he had clearly been paying attention to the online discourse: “Look, if they do the polling and it turns out they need a 49-year-old balding gay Jew from Boulder, Colorado, they've got my number.” Turns out they didn’t, but Colorado’s Governor was ready to step up to the plate.
My take: (👨🦲👨🦲👨🦲👨🦲👨🦲) He had this response locked and loaded, like a true clapback king. He gave just the right amount of self-deprecation, but still “I’m interested!” No notes.
Psst! There’s more where that came from! Hear the whole conversation on the City Cast Denver podcast 🎧
