Jon Stewart does not believe his name should be mentioned in the same sentence with Bill Maher—even if intended as a compliment.
On Wednesday’s Weekly Show podcast, Stewart found out from his producers that Fox News host Sean Hannity complimented him, naming him and the “both sides” comedian as the funniest comics in late-night. “Now, why would he do that to me? That is so not fair and not nice,” Stewart said Wednesday, explaining why he had a problem with “All of it.”
“Lumping me in with Maher and then saying something nice? He’s trying to f---—You know what, he’s trying to wreck my business,” Stewart said.
Earlier this month, Hannity said on Hang Out with Sean Hannity, “I think Bill Maher is talented, gifted, smart, witty ... I think he hates my guts, but I don’t care. Him and Jon Stewart, actually are funny and clever. They make me laugh.” He added, “Kimmel, Colbert, and Fallon don’t do it for me. They’re just not funny and creative.”
Stewart was asked on his podcast whether he had anything nice to say about Bill Maher. “Yes. He is... Bill Maher. Done,” he said, ending the sentence there.
The two comedians have steered clear of one another publicly, particularly as Maher has cherry-picked MAGA causes—like raging against “wokeness” and “cancel culture.”
Stewart wasn’t buying that Hannity just wanted to say something nice about him. “He’s playing the long game. That’s that martial arts training he’s been doing... I don’t trust anything that comes out of their mouths that isn’t strategic. There’s some strategy in there. I can’t necessarily figure out what that is.”
The host joked that no one was looking for comedic advice from Hannity anyway. “Listen, knowing that he is the arbiter of humor in this country, that he’s the Grand Poobah of... I think most people look to him for, ‘Hey, what, what kind of humor do you like? ‘Cause you seem hilarious.’”
Stewart concluded with a message to Hannity: “Thank you. Please do not compliment me again.”
