Jon Stewart Returns to ‘The Daily Show’: See Best Moments, Plus Fans React

Martin Holmes February 13, 2024, 7:27 am

Comments

Jon Stewart on The Daily Show — Comedy Central / YouTube

Jon Stewart made his much-anticipated return to The Daily Show on Monday, February 12, and wasted no time taking aim at Donald Trump and current U.S. president, Joe Biden.

The late-night host focused on Trump and Biden’s age-related issues, referring to the upcoming election as “Indecision 2024: Electile Dysfunction.”

He started by diving into special counsel Robert Hur’s report, which referred to Biden as “an elderly man with poor memory.” Stewart then showed footage of Trump and his family members struggling to “recall simple facts” during their own depositions.

“It turns out that the leading cause of early onset dementia is being deposed,” Stewart quipped.

The comedian, who originally hosted the Comedy Central series from 1999 to 2015, also poked fun at Biden’s disastrous press conference from Friday, February 9.

“So Joe Biden had a big press conference to dispel the notion that he may have lost a step and, politically speaking, may have lost three to four steps,” Stewart commented.

He then played Biden’s TikTok video that was released over the weekend, which saw the president talking about chocolate chip cookies. “How do you go on TikTok and end up looking older?” Stewart joked.

Stewart’s monologue questioned both Biden and Trump’s fitness to run as president. “These two candidates, they are both similarly challenged,” he stated. “And it is not crazy to think that the oldest people in the history of the country to ever run for president might have some of these challenges.

He continued, “We’re not suggesting neither man is vibrant, productive or even capable. But they’re both stretching the limits of being able to handle the toughest job in the world. What’s crazy is thinking that we’re the ones, as voters, who must silence concerns and criticisms. It is the candidates’ job to assuage concerns, not the voters’ job not to mention [them].

“We have two candidates who are chronologically outside the norm of anyone who has run for the presidency in the history of this country — breaking the record that they set!” he added.

Stewart did point out the differences between the two men and the many other reasons Trump shouldn’t be running the country.

“Look, Joe Biden isn’t Donald Trump,” he said. “He hasn’t been indicted as many times, hasn’t had as many fraudulent businesses or been convicted in a civil trial for sexual assault or been ordered to pay defamation charges or stiffed blue collar tradesman.

“[But] the stakes of this election don’t make Donald Trump’s opponent less subject to scrutiny,” Stewart continued. “It actually makes him more subject to scrutiny. If the barbarians are at the gate, you want Conan [the Barbarian] standing on the ramparts, not chocolate chip cookie guy.”

Elsewhere on the show, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, Zanny Minton Beddoes, joined Stewart to discuss Biden’s second term potential, the global spread of national conservatism, what Trump doesn’t understand about the NATO alliance and the Republican divide over support for Ukraine.

The reaction to Stewart’s return to The Daily Show was mixed. Some were happy to see the comedian back at the helm, and others were disappointed by his “playing both sides.”

“Well after nine years away, there’s nothing else to say to the bothsidesist fraud Jon Stewart bashing Biden, except: Please make it another nine years,” wrote sports and political commentator Keith Olbermann.

Well after nine years away, there’s nothing else to say to the bothsidesist fraud Jon Stewart bashing Biden, except: Please make it another nine years

— Keith Olbermann⌚️ (@KeithOlbermann) February 13, 2024

“Jon Stewart complaining that 2024 is “two old guys” again is like me complaining that it’s “two white guys” again. It misses the point and minimizes the stakes,” said another.

“Jon Stewart still has it in terms of being funny and entertaining but the political content of this monologue is basically the New York Times op-ed page in TV form. Both sides are not in fact equally bad!” wrote one viewer.

Jon Stewart complaining that 2024 is “two old guys” again is like me complaining that it’s “two white guys” again. It misses the point and minimizes the stakes.

— Stephen Robinson (@SER1897) February 13, 2024

Jon Stewart still has it in terms of being funny and entertaining but the political content of this monologue is basically the New York Times op-ed page in TV form. Both sides are not in fact equally bad! https://t.co/Bo9cPmS9az

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 13, 2024

However, Stewart found support elsewhere, notably, and perhaps surprisingly, from Elon Musk, who tweeted, “Balance and humor return!”

“Jon Stewart delivered incredibly smart, funny, & spot-on political commentary tonight, including on Israel’s massacre in Gaza,” wrote another viewer.

Another added, “Jon Stewart back on The Daily Show… That was pecan pie for the soul!”

“This was a joy. The guy’s delivery and pace is superb but the fact that his humanitarianism seeps from every pore is why he is rightly cherished by America,” wrote one YouTube commenter.

Balance and humor return!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 13, 2024

Jon Stewart delivered incredibly smart, funny, & spot-on political commentary tonight, including on Israel’s massacre in Gaza: pic.twitter.com/1Edjr5WY2y

— Omar Baddar عمر بدّار (@OmarBaddar) February 13, 2024

Stewart will continue to host The Daily Show every Monday as part of the program’s 2024 Election Cycle coverage. A rotating line-up of the show’s News Team will be on tap for the rest of the week.

The Daily Show, Weeknights, 11/10c, Comedy Central