Jon Stewart Fires Back at Backlash to His ‘Daily Show’ Return
“The Daily Show” host promised his naysayers that he didn’t mean to trigger them by saying “out loud what I saw with my eyes and then brain.”
Comedy Central
More than 3 million people tuned in to Comedy Central to see what Jon Stewart had to say when he made his hotly anticipated return to The Daily Show last week after nearly a decade away from the desk. While those viewership numbers were enough to make the episode the most-watched show on cable, not all of the feedback for Stewart was exactly positive.
On Monday, Stewart reacted to the news of his return by sharing a few of the most brutal reactions on X, formerly Twitter. Those included ex-MSNBC star Keith Olbermann’s insistence that Stewart is “a bothsidesist fraud” and suggesting that the new Monday night king disappear from the airwaves for another nine years.
While Stewart begrudgingly admitted that the response to his return was “maybe not” universally glowing, he pointed out that many of his harshest critics came at him from X, where everyone is miserable. “I’ve seen people on Twitter tell Labradoodles to go fuck themselves,” Stewart shared. “Labradoodles!”
In response to Mary L. Trump, outspoken anti-Trump niece of Donald who described Stewart’s comments—which took aim at both Trump and Biden—as “a potential disaster for democracy,” Stewart kind of lost it.
“It was one fucking show! It was just one fucking show! It was 20 minutes,” Stewart screamed. “I did 20 minutes in one fucking show! But I guess, as the famous saying goes: ‘Democracy dies in discussion.’”
Stewart handled the criticism with his typical good humor. “It was never my intention to say out loud what I saw with my eyes and then brain. I can do better!”
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Moving on, Stewart then wondered aloud where on Earth he could go to learn the ways of honest journalism. “Where do I go to study the particulars of unquestioning propaganda?” Stewart asked. “I would need mentorship.”
From there, the footage cut to Tucker Carlson’s talking head just before he sat down for his sycophantic interview with Vladimir Putin.
Among the pointers Stewart was able to take from the ousted Fox News anchor: “Lie about what your job is,” “Lie about what your duty is,” and “Disguise your deception and capitulation to power as noble and moral and based in freedom. Yes, master.”
Ultimately, Stewart learned that when you’re interviewing a ruthless world leader and have no intention of asking any follow-ups or challenging any of the bullshit he throws your way, the most dignified way to do that is to contort your face in such a way that you appear “constipated while jerking off to a Sears catalog.” Noted!
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.