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Jon Stewart is leaving The Daily Show "later this year"

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Ecotic

Member
With Stewart and Colbert gone it feels like a natural check against the stupidity in America is about to be lifted, and that is genuinely worrisome. They both really guided my generation for a formative decade. I really have to give it to them and Comedy Central for what they built, they probably pushed America towards progress by a not insubstantial degree.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Anyway let's share some of our favorite Daily Show moments that encapsulated why Jon Stewart became such a staple in our homes.

I already mentioned two before:

1. Jon Stewart's first show back from 9/11 - The humour was stripped bare and he just said the simple truth everyone felt. It's not that it was complicated or profound. It's that what he said was authentic and you knew it. On par with David Letterman's reaction.

2. Jon Stewart is rendered speechless over the non-indictment in Eric Garner case - Sometimes there are things that are so self-evidently fucked up that it's hard to know how this happens side by side in a supposed rational and civilized country. This reaction represents what many of us felt... anger and confusion and why.

3. When Jon Stewart went after Bill De Blasio's approach to eating Pizza - All New Yorkers know the problem here. Jon Stewart's hilariously straightforward attack on De Blasio's pizza eating ways though just was gut splittingly funny in action.

4. Jon Stewart's Indecision 2000 - was the first time comedic coverage of a Presidential Election seemed more relevant than the 24 hour news networks themselves. The sheer absurdity of it all was never more perfectly highlighted than Jon Stewart's genuine shock at how this is even possible in a modern country.

5. Jon Stewart vs. Betsy McCaughey - Remember the conspiracy about death penalties, living wills and abject nonsense that almost single handedly derailed the health care debate as Obama sat idly like a fucking moron letting this nonsense criticism accumulate until it literally almost destroyed his entire signature health care proposal? Yeah, Betsy McCaughey was the person who started that. And Jon Stewart eviscerated her.

6. Jon Stewart illustrates the nuttery of Glenn Beck-isms with Glenn Beck-isms - I rarely laughed as hard at the show as I did when Jon Stewart broke out the black board and began to deconstruct Glenn Beck's intentionally misleading brand of conspiracy nuttery. Glenn Beck knows what he does and why he does it, he admits it's an act. But only Jon Stewart was so effective at illustrating the type of damage this act does, through humour.

7. Jon Stewart vs. Jim Cramer - this feud was hilarious from the get-go, with both taking shots at each other through the show. But when Jon Stewart took Jim Cramer to task on the show, the sheer level of incompetence on Cramer's part almost made one feel bad for the dude. It was like seeing an ugly snowman melt before your eyes.

8. Jon Stewart vs. Bill O'Reilly, The Rumble 2012 - I'm a little unsure whether this should count, since it was related to a Daily Show debate challenge but obviously due to the format gave both sides way longer time to articulate their answers than usual. When Jon Stewart called O'Reilly the king of shit mountain though, you knew you were watching Gold. The debate wasn't particularly in depth stuff, but it was comedy gold. Their back-and-forth friendly feud is long term, but this was the peak.

9. Jon Stewart vs. War on Christmas - Also related to O'Reilly, Jon Stewart underlined perfectly in one simple attack on the absurdity of politically reactionary nonsense why the level of discourse in this country has gone so wildly off track. He deflated the attack for the irrational garbage it was, eviscerated those who were pushing it as intellectually bankrupt frauds and made the entire thing anathema to even discuss. Then he got O'Reilly on the show to embarrass him further. At least O'Reilly is a good sport ;P

10. Jon Stewart attacks BP and Obama's address to the Nation - This to me illustrates the crossover appeal he could have. Jon Stewart throughout this crisis was particularly critical of Obama's half-measures and stating of the obvious with less regard on practical matters at times, but his entire attack on BP and Obama was a hilarious thing to behold start to finish. Party lines don't matter when you're wrong.

If you were to include the Crossfire interview, where yould you rank it? It would be a tough fight for #1 between that interview and the 9/11 speech.

I have to disagree withe the Cramer interview. Mostly because, that was Cramer punishment. To go on and take it. He knew it was coming, and he knew that's all that would happen to him. And to be quite honest, Jon felt like he was going easy on him. Like the whole thing was staged. It was not the spontaneous and unexpected decimation of the Crossfire Interview.
 

Amir0x

Banned
If you were to include the Crossfire interview, where yould you rank it? It would be a tough fight for #1 between that interview and the 9/11 speech.

Yeah the Crossfire interview pretty much defined Jon Stewart's abilities in the context of his show. I was debating whether to put it in there since I included the O'Reilly debate. Honestly if I were to put it in, I'd probably put it in at #1. It just was everything Jon Stewart was capable of, and it marked the absolute demise of Crossfire as a concept and show. Such a simple mark against the format of modern American political punditry, encapsulated in a single sentence: “Stop hurting America.”

9/11 was probably more important in terms of what the country needed at that moment, but I think in the context of the show itself and what Jon Stewart is capable of I think the Crossfire moment was the best summary of his tenure there. He's funny, but when you're his target he can absolutely take you by surprise and pants you.

Edit: And yeah, the Cramer interview is nowhere near the Crossfire thing. I just didn't include it due to the fact it wasn't on his show, but I didn't feel the 'staged' part. I mean, sure he was supposed to take it, but even I felt uncomfortable for the guy... Stewart was just giving him a good old fashioned humiliation :p
 

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
My issue is I'm not sure Bassem Yousef has the emotional center Jon Stewart did. I'm not aware of any moments of emotional maturity displayed when he discussed some of the more intense and complicated political stories of the day. And I sort of think that is important for a true contender for the crown.

I like the guy, just not sure he can fill what I think is one of the most important roles Jon Stewart played. That emotional center grounded all Jon stewart's work, because it felt incredibly authentic.

See, this is the problem. No one can fill his shoes completely. I don't think anyone out there is the full package. I think Bassem comes the closest though.

Yeah the Crossfire interview pretty much defined Jon Stewart's abilities in the context of his show. I was debating whether to put it in there since I included the O'Reilly debate. Honestly if I were to put it in, I'd probably put it in at #1. It just was everything Jon Stewart was capable of, and it marked the absolute demise of Crossfire as a concept and show. Such a simple mark against the format of modern American political punditry, encapsulated in a single sentence: “Stop hurting America.”

9/11 was probably more important in terms of what the country needed at that moment, but I think in the context of the show itself and what Jon Stewart is capable of I think the Crossfire moment was the best summary of his tenure there. He's funny, but when you're his target he can absolutely take you by surprise and pants you.

Edit: And yeah, the Cramer interview is nowhere near the Crossfire thing. I just didn't include it due to the fact it wasn't on his show, but I didn't feel the 'staged' part. I mean, sure he was supposed to take it, but even I felt uncomfortable for the guy... Stewart was just giving him a good old fashioned humiliation :p

Crossfire definitely would be #1, he went on there and not only owned the shit out of them but got the show canned. Who does that?
 
I'm heartbroken. I can't even eloquate how surreal this feels. I've been watching Daily Show consistently since I was 10. :(



I agree with those saying Jessica Williams is the funniest correspondent presently. Wouldn't mind if she got a chance as host.
 
My issue is I'm not sure Bassem Yousef has the emotional center Jon Stewart did. I'm not aware of any moments of emotional maturity displayed when he discussed some of the more intense and complicated political stories of the day. And I sort of think that is important for a true contender for the crown.

I like the guy, just not sure he can fill what I think is one of the most important roles Jon Stewart played. That emotional center grounded all Jon stewart's work, because it felt incredibly authentic.

No one is going to be a carbon copy of Jon Stewart. Everyone will be better in some respects and worse in others. Frankly, I think the emotional aspect is simultaneously one of the least important, as well as one of the most common.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Edit: And yeah, the Cramer interview is nowhere near the Crossfire thing. I just didn't include it due to the fact it wasn't on his show, but I didn't feel the 'staged' part. I mean, sure he was supposed to take it, but even I felt uncomfortable for the guy... Stewart was just giving him a good old fashioned humiliation :p

That's just it though. He was there to be humiliated, and he knew what was coming. He sat there with stupid "I've been a baaaad boy" look on his face, just waiting for it to be over, because he knew that was it. I just didn't feel natural.
 
Its funny how he hated Bush, but the material that administration provided on a daily basis kept the team in a surplus supply of material...while Obamas terms have seen the shows best work only come about when Fox news fucks up.

I guess the idea of Hilary in power is too much for him.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
See, this is the problem. No one can fill his shoes completely. I don't think anyone out there is the full package. I think Bassem comes the closest though.



Crossfire definitely would be #1, he went on there and not only owned the shit out of them but got the show canned. Who does that?


Well, owned Carlson anyways. He got the other guy too, but to that guys credit, he caught on early how bad this was and, knowing he was totally unprepared, kept his mouth shut almost the entire time.
 

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
That's just it though. He was there to be humiliated, and he knew what was coming. He sat there with stupid "I've been a baaaad boy" look on his face, just waiting for it to be over, because he knew that was it. I just didn't feel natural.

I think we all knew he'd get creamed, I think he knew he'd get creamed, what made it awesome was it was far past the degree we thought it would be at the time. I sort of figured it would be a slightly longer interview where he got shamed, I just didn't think Jon would do it to the degree he did though.

Well, owned Carlson anyways. He got the other guy too, but to that guys credit, he caught on early how bad this was and, knowing he was totally unprepared, kept his mouth shut almost the entire time.

Lol True enough, that dude saw the way the wind was blowing.
 

Amir0x

Banned
That's just it though. He was there to be humiliated, and he knew what was coming. He sat there with stupid "I've been a baaaad boy" look on his face, just waiting for it to be over, because he knew that was it. I just didn't feel natural.

Yeah i mean I respect the point totally, but I was shifting uncomfortably in my chair whilst being entertained so I guess it just functioned for me.

Poor Jim Cramer, totes incompetent :p

See, this is the problem. No one can fill his shoes completely. I don't think anyone out there is the full package. I think Bassem comes the closest though.

Yeah I agree, but if I was choosing candidates, the emotional center would be at the core of what I look for. Like, that'd be a "have or die" sort of situation. I don't need someone super funny, but emotionally authentic and politically adept are key.


Crossfire definitely would be #1, he went on there and not only owned the shit out of them but got the show canned. Who does that?

Yeah, I mean the show was already on fumes but Jon Stewart definitely closed the lid on that casket. Who could take it seriously after that? I think it was like American Crossfire viewers suddenly had cold water poured on their face and was like 'oh yeah that's right this shit is manipulative tripe, what was I thinking?'

No one is going to be a carbon copy of Jon Stewart. Everyone will be better in some respects and worse in others. Frankly, I think the emotional aspect is simultaneously one of the least important, as well as one of the most common.

Man I could not disagree more. Sure, people can try, but you can tell when someone is emotionally authentic. In the world of political punditry and humour, it's incredibly rare to get someone who feels like they're not just putting on a show but actually feel deeply the issues they're speaking to. I can list on one hand the number of times I ever thought someone in this line of work was being emotionally sincere. Maybe I'm just extra cynical, but I feel much of the time people put on a show of emotion rather than actually feel it. Jon Stewart really obviously deeply cared about many of these issues because they were important and was occasionally quite confused that things turned out the way they did, because they seemed so self-evidently wrong. There was just a tinge of childlike innocence in there, but this allowed his analysis of subjects to take on that final critical bit of depth that most other shows of this type lack.

For me, I actually believe being laugh-out-loud funny is less important. I mean the show needs to be humorous (and certainly not as unfunny as a Bill Maher stand up), but that all needs to be a sideshow to someone's command of the issues and their ability to authentically care about them (and, more importantly, convincingly demonstrate they care, a nearly impossible task for most in this position).
 

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
Yeah I agree, but if I was choosing candidates, the emotional center would be at the core of what I look for. Like, that'd be a "have or die" sort of situation. I don't need someone super funny, but emotionally authentic and politically adept are key.

I totally get what you're saying, I'd love to see their short list though. You know they've got one at this point, no way they announce this without one. They either have a very short list or know exactly who they're getting.
 
Damn, end of an era. I gave up on the show years ago though, around the time of that godawful Rally to Restore Sanity. Colbert was a million times funnier than Stewart, and John Oliver has rendered both of them obsolete.
 

Amir0x

Banned
I totally get what you're saying, I'd love to see their short list though. You know they've got one at this point, no way they announce this without one. They either have a very short list or know exactly who they're getting.

They probably have candidates for sure. The biggest mistake transitions like this can have is if they try to "fill the shoes" of the previous person. Jon Stewart is unique, I agree with people ITT saying you can't really get someone who fills all his unique personality traits that made him such an effective individual in this role. I hope whoever they choose they give the freedom to recreate the show in his/her image. And that they headline emotional authenticity and political adeptness before gut splitting humour. Funny is important, but I think with a good enough writing team and halfway competent person to deliver the content you'll get close enough to where you need to be there.

But man, if someone doesn't know the subjects they're talking about in any depth it shows quick and it becomes embarrassing. A liability even. When Jon Stewart went against his high profile guests, you sort of knew the man generally knew what he was talking about (albeit, his own perspective on what any given political subject of the day meant to himself and the country). You never felt like Jon Stewart was treading water or was out of his league (well, rarely enough anyway that it was never a problem).

So I hope they are very smart in testing the person they're going to have replace Stewart
 
It's horrible and shocking news. The man is a legend though. He has the right to do whatever he wants, and whenever he wants to do it. I hope he still contributes to the national discourse in some way. But he's already a legend.
 
Both parties are up their own ass. Just because one is worse on virtually issue doesn't mean it's not pertinent advice.

They weren't attacking both parties at all. It was more like this: Here's some actually in office republicans saying batshit crazy stuff and here's Code Pink saying some batshit crazy stuff. See everyone, both sides are awful.

That's nothing more than a cheap false equivalence and rendered any point the rally was trying to make moot.
 
If he's voluntarily retiring from the show, then I hope Jon and the show writers/producers/crew finds success with the activities he takes on after this, and that Comedy Central might fill the gap with a show half as good. Last Week Tonight is my preference for a spiritual successor, good thing my family has an HBO subscription. But cable users ought to have access to shows like this on channels they already get. Seems like the end of an era for late night this year.
 

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
If he's voluntarily retiring from the show, then I hope Jon and the show writers/producers/crew finds success with the activities he takes on after this, and that Comedy Central might fill the gap with a show half as good. Last Week Tonight is my preference for a spiritual successor, good thing my family has an HBO subscription. But cable users ought to have access to shows like this on channels they already get. Seems like the end of an era for late night this year.

Much of Oliver's show is posted legally on Youtube by HBO, so there is that.
 

Forkball

Member
Sad to see him go, especially a year before the next election. I love the Daily Show and I've been watching it for over ten years. I think John Oliver would have been a good replacement, but that ship has sailed. The Fey/Pohler suggestions are excellent though.
 
I'll miss Jon, but I'm okay with this.

The show is in dire need of a shake up and I'm not sure it would be possible with Jon still at the helm. I just hope it doesn't turn into something that's too similar to The Nightly show...
 

mclem

Member
Someone's about to turn into a political pundit.
That'd be stupid. Wouldn't make sense from a career perspective. The dude is highly influential already in the political spectrum and he has his own show with his name on it. And he's influential enough that he can challenge Bill O'Reilly to a debate, have it be accepted and win without batting an eye. What aspect of political punditry is going to pay him more or be a more effective outlet for issues he cares about?

Or there's a campaign looking for a press officer!

(Now, that'd be... interesting!)
 

Mathezar

Member
Damn, so disappointed... I found out watching our morning news on Dutch TV of all things, so literally woke up to it :(

The Daily Show, Conan, John Oliver and Colbert are/were the only talkshows I don't miss.
 

tomtom94

Member
We'll have some good memories. Agree that Last Week Tonight was starting to muscle in and I think it's the right time. Curious to see what he does next.

As for a replacement...heart says Jessica Williams, head says Craig Ferguson.
 

siddx

Magnificent Eager Mighty Brilliantly Erect Registereduser
I figured this was coming, he will be missed but at the same time this is a great opportunity to give a young talented person the spotlight and make him or her a star by helming the daily show. If they choose wisely they could end up with another strong influence on the side of reason.
 

spliced

Member
Its funny how he hated Bush, but the material that administration provided on a daily basis kept the team in a surplus supply of material...while Obamas terms have seen the shows best work only come about when Fox news fucks up.

I guess the idea of Hilary in power is too much for him.

This is a good point. The show lost something a bit after Obama took over, he didn't have the passion to slam him like he did Bush. He was rolling along roasting Bush, then Obama took over and he was on a high but after awhile he realized he was gonna have to start ripping him and his heart wasn't in it.
 

Sheroking

Member
that might sound cynicaö but i don't think they would go with two black hosts b2b.

If anybody would, they would. I just don't think she's host material. Her humor doesn't come from the right place IMO. She's too much of a character.

Honestly, I don't see any current correspondent stepping in properly and that's a problem.
 

Rlan

Member
I'll miss Stewart :(

tumblr_n18pzq8vc11rys6fno1_400.gif
 
I don't know why, but I really kinda want Moshe Kasher to take over the host seat. I just think he'd do a good job, for some reason.
 
Someone new has to step up to fill the cable political satire void? It can't be Oliver until he leaves HBO, so who out there is capable of taking over for Stewart/Colbert?
 
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