At a worship ceremony held at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth read a prayer resembling the famous monologue by Samuel L. Jackson in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 cult film Pulp Fiction. Hegseth stated that this prayer was based on the actual Bible verse Ezekiel 25:17, but it is known that most of the text was fabricated for the film.
Stephen Colbert harshly criticized Hegseth's prayer, emphasizing that the text was taken not from the Bible but from popular culture. Comparing Hegseth's prayer to the lines in Pulp Fiction, Colbert used the phrase "Quentin Tarantino's Bible" and highlighted the fictional content of the text in the film.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed that the text read by Hegseth was a "special prayer" and was inspired by the dialogue in Pulp Fiction. Parnell argued that Hegseth referenced Ezekiel 25:17 and that the criticisms were unfounded.
This incident brought up the issue of religious texts mixing with popular culture and sparked public debate. Colbert's criticism serves as a warning that religious expressions should be taken from accurate sources.